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.

Tesla

An interview with members of Sacramento’s legendary Tesla

Summerfest History - 35 Years

Summerfest: The world’s largest music festival and it’s right here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Started in 1972 and in it’s 35th year, here is a brief history of the event.

Gingerjake

An interview with guitarist Ian Severson of Minneapolis band Gingerjake

Les Paul

‘Upgrade’ is a fairly new term in today’s society, yet it has sparked an international obsession. We need our internet faster, our cars bigger, our celebrities skinnier, and our televisions more…defined? Well listen up, Generation Next, because the man responsible for the original upgrade worked for it… Without the cheat codes.

There is no doubt Les Paul is a living legend of the twenty-first century. He not only invented the first electric guitar, but revolutionized the music industry with countless recording breakthroughs. Les Paul has played for kings, queens and presidents, and is revered by musical titans throughout the world. But one Monday night, on the busiest and brightest street in New York City, this legend sat on a moth-eaten, dusty couch, alone in a cramped dressing room, just a door-swing away from his audience.
A chill ran up my spine. I tried to imagine all the influential people that had gazed into those misty blue eyes, as I was doing. Every inch of his face was brimming with eagerness to talk about the past, perhaps wondering which stories I would conjure. He gently twisted the top of his cane as his eyes darted around before settling on an object across the room, and then back at me.

Otep

Lots of bands claim to have a cult following, but how many have fans who show up with severed pig heads and ready to propose marriage? How many bands are signed to a major label based on the strength of their live show, even before they release a single song? Hailing from Los Angeles, Otep is just that band.
A band since 2000, the two constants in Otep during that time have been classically-trained bassist “eViL j” and frontwoman, lyricist and band namesake Otep Shamaya. Of late, they’re backed by two new members, guitarist Karma Cheema and drummer Brian Wolff. The reasons for the lineup changes have varied, but Shamaya says that the center of the band remains the same: they are message driven, and center around art for art’s sake. Their latest album, “The Ascension,” has several songs co-written by Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett, and the record is produced by Dave Fortman, who’s previously worked with both Evanescence and Mudvayne.  The band’s sound is familiar enough to anyone who’s heard any of the above bands, but also features flares of spoken word and a female perspective, rarities in heavy radio rock. The new albums is their third, and Shamaya says it’s best considered as a fusion between the two previous releases.

So what makes Otep so special that they have such a following?