Def Leppard

Of all the places you imagine rock stars go, the dog groomer is probably not one of them. Not so for Def Leppard’s thunder man Rick Allen, who woke up at seven o’clock to take his little cairn terrier, Ricky, to get his hair coiffed and paws manicured.

Then again, Rick Allen is no ordinary rock star. Joining the Leppards as a nineteen-year-old pup himself, Allen rode the effervescent wave of Britain’s heavy-metal renaissance on the brink of the eighties. With their trademark trickling vocals and opulent guitar riffs, the multiplatinum, Union-jack clad lads from Sheffield are one of the biggest-selling bands in the world. But their success did not come at a low price. On New Year’s Eve, 1984, Rick Allen walked away from a lethal auto accident with only one arm—a death knell for the career of a drummer. Two years later, Allen miraculously took the stage again, this time playing on a specially customized electronic drum kit which compensates for his handicap.

The resilient Rick Allen spoke to Maximum Ink, in his ever-cheery English accent, before Def Leppard churns the wheels of their unusually long three-year tour towards Summerfest 2007.

Read More...

Default

When Dallas Smith auditioned for drummer Danny Craig and guitarist Jeremy Hora only two years ago, it was a new experience for him.  Before that, Smith’s vocal performances had been limited to singing along with the radio, but a decision that it was time to try it for real lead him to vie for the position of lead singer in Hora and Smith’s band.  It went well.

Today, the three of them, along with bassist Dave Benedict, are collectively known as Default, a Vancouver rock band whose buzz just keeps growing.  When asked if he had any idea back in 1999 that the band would have gained this level of success and notoriety so quickly, Smith replied, “Not even a .1% chance.  It’s like winning the lottery, really.  We can’t believe it.”

Read More...

DefineD

The Canadian metal band Defined was formed in 2001. Though it has gone through several members changes over the years they still continue to deliver the hard and heavy sound their fans have some to expect.The current members while all in their early twenties themselves claim a combined stage experience of just over twenty years. Define-D is Jon Rioux (vocals),Steve Laj (drums),Neil Landry (bass), & Dan Levis (guitar), I sat down with the entire band for a chance to bring fans in U.S. up to speed.

Maximum Ink: Are you all originally from Canada?How do you think coming from there has influenced your sound?  Who where some of your earliest influences?
Dan Levis: No…I was born in Pakistan.(laughs)
Steve Laj: Influenced? It hasn’t….. I just listened to a lot of American music.
Jon Rioux: I don’t think being Canadian “influenced” our sound, but it has sculpted our bands personality, and views of the music industry.
Neil Landry: Yeah, Canada isn’t that different from the states…you know, people get killed, people make love, people get high, and we people make music…plus, we are FLOODED with American influences from day one up here.  So, to answer your question, it was all that American content on MuchMusic (Canada’s MTV) that influenced our sound.
SL: Yeah man, I’d say 90% of my CD collection is American music.
JR:  Earliest influences? Steve Tyler. Sad to say, well no, he’s a good singer…Layne Staley, Phil Anselmo, Kurt Cobain,etc…
DL: I used to like the bee gees a lot.(laughs)
SL: Uh, Sepultura, Slipknot, Pantera…used to listen to a lot of Korn…Snot…
JR: Sevendust!
SL: Ya!
JR: Old Incubus, Pantera, Mudvayne…
DL: Talking serious??? Okay, Iron maiden, Judas priest, dimmu borgir, and uhhh fuckin pantera man haha and of course the members of this band.
NL: Fuckin Dan, youngest kid in the band crushing the oldest metal I love it. And I 100% agree with pan’fuckin’tera…RIP dime. White Zombie, Sepultura, Nirvana I guess…and Primus sucks, Claypool is a god.

Read More...

Diamond Head

As the Seventies snorted on, the hard rock genre started bloating into the drug-fueled excesses of classic rock. Punk rock came in with its simple chords and snotty attitude to threaten metal into an early oblivion. Rockers that were into guitar solos and liked listening to men that scream like women needed a louder and faster reponse in order to save metal. Riding in like knights in leather armor, The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was that response. Bands like Iron Maiden, Mötorhead, and Judas Priest were at the forefront of the genre, eventually even gaining acceptance from the mainstream which had previously shunned the biker and fetish gear(for God’s sakes, you can buy Maiden t-shirts at Kohl’s!)

One of the most influential and important bands of the NWOBHM (as it is usually abbreviated as) was Diamond Head. Even casual metal fans have heard Metallica’s version of “Am I Evil?” (and if you haven’t, get thee to iTunes now!) and that’s probably their most famous song.

Read More...

Cake

Unequivocal success, that’s possibly the most accurate way to summarize what’s happened to CAKE since they began 20 years ago. Their eccentric, almost quirky approach to writing music and lyrics has won fans over across the globe. After a seven year stretch between albums, we’re finding Showroom of Compassion to be nothing short of amazing, which is no surprise, given the three years the band poured into its completion in their own home studio. Vince DiFiore, Cake trumpeter and keyboardist set aside some time to share his thoughts with us on his simplistic gear preferences, the new CD, artwork, and the overall triumph of two decades making music.

MAXIMUM INK:  How is the current tour is going so far.
VINCE DIFIORE:  It’s going great. It’s a good time of year; really nice crowds are out, people are happy to be going to the shows. One comment I’ve heard from people that have been to the shows is that they’re really impressed by the crowd that’s there, and they meet a lot of nice people at the show. Springtime is a good time.

Read More...

Ronnie James Dio

Six decades. That is the span through which Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) was a rock‘n’ roll professional. With his death last month on May 16, an incredible music career ended. Dio was best known for his work in heavy metal, and in fact he became a cultural icon – one often steeped in humor – for the exaggerated posturing and fantastical lyrics that are a rich part of the genre. His introduction of the “metal horns” hand sign cemented it. To be sure, Dio immersed himself in such things, but it’s interesting to note that his musical career actually took him through several rock‘n’roll genres.

In 1958, a band from upstate New York called Ronnie And The Red Caps released their first 7-inch single on a small label called Reb Records. They could be described as a doo-wop group. Ronnie James Dio was the singer of that band, and the vinyl single began his professional recording career. Dio went on to form a group called Elf that also garnered a recording deal. That band, which had their first release in the late sixties, could be best described as boogie rock. But Dio’s strong voice set the group apart from many of the hippie bands of the time, lending a power to the band that was unusual.

Elf got a big break by landing opening slots for Deep Purple

Read More...

The Dirty Three

I had no idea what to expect when I got to the door of the East End, the short-lived club on Madison’s east side in the mid-nineties. I was there for the Man… or Astro-Man show as they were on the cover that month. What I didn’t know was that the opening act, The Dirty Three, would be a band I would love for years to come. That was October of 1996.

Prior to the show, I hadn’t heard much about this Australian band, except that they traveled around the country, in an old, black Cadillac, going show to show without breaking. I’d heard stories about the band’s leader and violinist Warren Ellis, and his love for whiskey.

When I ran into him at the show, bottle in hand and wearing black, he was just as mysterious and foreboding a figure as I’d heard about. In fact, they were all very quiet.

Read More...