Sunday, March 17, 2024

March 17th, 2024 - "The World is [Hers]": An Interview with Bassist Becky Baldwin

 

Hey there metal maniacs!  Your heavy metal beer drinking pal the Meista here today with another killer interview for you!  This one is with the incredibly talented and very friendly and forthcoming Becky Baldwin, bassist of U.K. metal band Fury and recently named the full-time bassist of legendary metal band Mercyful Fate!  We chatted about Becky's tour work with the mighty Mercyful Fate, and eventual official invitation to join the band full-time, her work with Fury and Hands Off Gretel, her rich history as a musician in general, and much more!  Here's a link to that video interviewhttps://youtu.be/e1QS74Fa3AI

Enjoy!!



Make sure to check out Mercyful Fate here:
Check out Fury here: 

Check out Hands Off Gretel here:

Check out Becky's pages here: 

Cheers and hails!!

*Special thanks to Benjamin Niebla II of Online Metal Promo PR for setting up this interview, to Jamie Winters for designing the Brews and Tunes logoJerry Howard for creating the Brews and Tunes intro video and to DiseNgaged for the use of their song "The Real Me" (copyright 2020)

Saturday, March 16, 2024

March 16th, 2024 - Tonight... And Then Tomorrow

 

Hello and happy Saturday rockers, rollers, and craft beer lovers!  The Meista here paring David Bowie's "Tonight" and a hoppy and tasty Tomorrow Pale Ale from Equilibrium Brewing Company!


Album Info:

  • Artist: David Bowie
  • Title: "Tonight"
  • Recorded: May through June 1984 at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Canada 
    Release date: September 24th, 1984 (16th studio album by David Bowie)
  • Record company: EMI America Records
  • Production: David Bowie, Derek Bramble, and Hugh Padgham 
  • Album cover art: Mick Haggerty 
  • Personnel: David Bowie (lead vocals) with Carlos Alomar (guitars), Derek Bramble (guitars, guitar synthesizer, bass guitar, Yamaha DX7, Oberheim OB-8, Roland Jupiter-8, and PPG Wave 2.2 synthesizers, and backing vocals), Robin Clark (backing vocals), Steve Elson (baritone saxophone), Sammy Figueroa (percussion), Omar Hakim (drums), Stanley Harrison (alto and tenor saxophones), Curtis King (backing vocals), Mark King (bass guitar), Arif Mardin (string arrangements and synthesizers), Mark Pender (flugel horn and trumpet), Lenny Pickett (tenor saxophone), Carmine Rojas (bass guitar), George Simms (backing vocals), Guy St. Onge (marimba), and Rob Yale (Fairlight CMI)
  • Guest musicians: Iggy Pop (vocals on "Dancing With The Big Boys") and Tina Turner (vocals on "Tonight")
  • Musical style: Pop, rock with elements of dance, "blue-eyed soul", funk, reggae, and R&B
  • Sound: Building on the approach from "Let's Dance", the sound on "Tonight" is upbeat, very poppy, and provides some nice grooves.  Of the album's sound, Bowie stated: "There's a particular sound I'm after that I haven't really got yet... I think I got quite close to it on "Dancing with the Big Boys". ... I got very musical over the last couple of years – trying to write musically and develop things the way people used to write in the Fifties. I stayed away from experimentation. Now, I think I should be a bit more adventurous."
  • Major themes: History, misconceptions, incorrect knowledge, love, desire, celebration, life, oppressive corporate structures, etc.
  • Tracks:  
  1. "Loving The Alien"
  2. "Don't Look Down" (Iggy Pop cover)
  3. "God Only Knows" (Beach Boys cover)
  4. "Tonight" (Iggy Pop cover)
  5. "Neighborhood Threat" (Iggy Pop cover)
  6. "Blue Jean"
  7. "Tumble And Twirl"
  8. "I Keep Forgettin'" (Chuck Jackson cover)
  9. "Dancing With The Big Boys"


Brew Info:

  • Brewery: Equilibrium Brewing Company (Middletown, New York)
  • Website: https://www.eqbrew.com/
  • Brew: Tomorrow Pale Ale
  • Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
  • Serving: 16 ounce can
  • ABV: 4.0%
  • Ingredients: Citra and Mosaic hops
  • Pour: The Tomorrow Pale Ale pours a very hazy, pale yellow with a frothy, bright white, 2+ finger head with great sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
  • Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, tropically fruity, grainy, grassy, and more subtle sweetness.  There are aromas of orange juice, tangerine, peach, apricot, pineapple, lemon zest, mango, crackery grains, grassy hops, and soft caramel.
  • Taste: The taste of the Tomorrow Pale Ale follows the nose with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit, grassy and more subtle bready flavors.  There are notes of tangerine, orange juice and zest, pineapple, peach, light berry, crackery biscuit, and softer toffee notes.
  • Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, refreshing, and juicy, yet smooth and a bit creamy with a dry, slightly bitter, yet clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Tomorrow Pale is a wonderfully flavorful and complex, yet crushable brew that works perfectly with the sonic storytelling and musical mastery of the late, great David Bowie!  Those complex flavors really work well with the quintessential Bowie sound and visual presentation. 

Cheers!!

March 16th, 2024 - The Fantasia of the Saviour Machine

 


Hey there rockers, rollers, metalheads, and craft brew lovers!  Your pal the Meista is here tonight with a pairing of a juicy and tasty Fantasia Hazy IPA from Mother Earth Brewing Company and the wonderful and fascinating "Saviour Machine", the debut album from progressive goth metal band Saviour Machine!  Hell yeah!


Album Info: 

  • Artist: Saviour Machine
  • Title: "Saviour Machine"
  • Recorded: 1993 at The Green Room and The Mixing Lab in California
    Release date: 1993 (1st studio album by Saviour Machine)
  • Record company: Malineum Productions
  • Production: Eric Clayton and Terry Taylor
  • Album cover art: Brian Godawa (art direction) and Joe Potter (design) 
  • Personnel: Eric Clayton (lead vocals), Jeff Clayton (guitars), Dean Forsyth (bass), and Samuel West (drums)
  • Additional musician: Jimmy P. Brown II (backing vocals), Brian Kehew (additional keyboards), Love Larrimore (backing vocals), Riki Michele (backing vocals), and Terry Taylor (backing vocals)
  • Musical style: Progressive metal /rock with elements of gothic metal, doom metal, art rock, and Christian metal
  • Sound: Richly textured and wonderfully executed, the sound on "Saviour Machine" perfectly blends art rock and progressive rock elements with heavy hitting gothic metal.  Eric Clayton's vocals are powerful, mesmerizing, and work wonderfully well over the intense and emotive heavy punch of the music.  At times it sounds like David Bowie with Black Sabbath as his band.
  • Major themes: Spirituality, life, death, criticism of organized religion, corruption, states of mind, insanity, sorrow, loss, gothic horror, apocalyptical imagery, etc.
  • Tracks: 
  1. "Carnival Of Souls"
  2. "Force Of The Entity"
  3. "Legion"
  4. "Ludicrous Smiles"
  5. "The Wicked Window"
  6. "Son Of The Rain"
  7. "Killer"
  8. "The Widow And The Bride"
  9. "Christians And Lunatics"
  10. "The Mask"
  11. "A World Alone"
  12. "Jesus Christ"

Brew Info:
  • Brewery: Mother Earth Brew Company (Vista, California)
  • Website: http://motherearthbrewco.com/
  • Brew: Fantasia Hazy IPA
  • Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
  • Serving: 16 ounce can
  • ABV: 7.0%
  • IBUs: 45
  • Ingredients: Galaxy, Belma, Vic Secret, and Mosaic hops with pale and white wheat, flaked oats, and dextrin malts
  • Pour: The Fantasia Hazy IPA pours a hazy, golden yellow hue with a frothy and creamy, half-finger, bright white head with great retention and delicate lacing.
  • Nose: Fruit forward, the nose is tropical, citrusy, floral, and malty.  It is chalk full of notes of stone fruit (peach and apricot), light pineapple, mango, orange, ripe berries, grapefruit rind, wildflowers, soft caramel malt, and a hint of booze.
  • Taste: The taste of the Fantasia Hazy IPA follows the nose with floral hops, citrus, tropical fruit, and sweet malt flavors.  There are big notes of orange juice and zest, tangerine, pineapple, mango, peach, apricot, strawberry, and a little booze with a strong malty backbone.
  • Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Fantasia Hazy IPA is crisp and juicy, with a soft, creamy, and smooth finish.


Overall pairing: The Mother Earth Fantasia Hazy IPA is a very good offering of the style... fruity, juicy, and robust... great to pair with the emotional intensity and musical prowess of Savior Machine!  Those hoppy notes go great with the darker lyrics and emotive vocals, while the crushable juiciness is a great foil for the overall heaviness of the album! 

And make sure to check out my interview with Saviour Machine vocalist Eric Clayton here: https://youtu.be/jx9AepuGlcU 

Cheers and hails!!

Friday, March 15, 2024

March 15th, 2024 - I Feel Like Francine is Living on the Edge

 


Hello and happy Friday rockers, rollers, and hop lovers!  The Meista here today pairing a tasty Francine Pale Ale from my friends at Fisher Brewing Company and "Living On the Edge" by hard rocking Axe!  Hell yeah!


Album Info:

  • Artist: Axe
  • Title: "Living On The Edge"
  • Recorded: 1980 
  • Release date: 1980 (2nd studio album by Axe)
  • Record company: MCA Records / Curb Records
  • Production: Tony Reale
  • Album cover art: Carl Ramsey
  • Personnel: Bobby Barth (guitar and vocals), Teddy Mueller (drums), Mike Osborne (guitar and vocals), Edgar Riley, Jr. (keyboards and vocals), and Michael Turpin (bass and vocals)
  • Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, power pop, arena rock with elements of Southern rock
  • Sound: Straight-forward, guitar-driven, definitive, hard-rockin' fun, Axe's sound on "Living On The Edge" is a little more mellow than their debut, but is still contains some fast-paced, melodic, and pure rock and roll fun!  
  • Major themes: Lovin', lust, sex, rock and roll, hard living, relationships, power, etc.
  • Notes: Sadly, guitarist Michael Osborne was killed in an automobile accident and Bobby Barth was seriously injured shortly following the completion of the band's 1984 "Nemesis" tour with Mötley Crüe. 
  • Tracks: 
  1. "Living On The Edge"
  2. "Fantasy Of Love"
  3. "First Time, Last Time"
  4. "Carry On"
  5. "Running The Gauntlet"
  6. "I Can't Help Myself"
  7. "Just Walk Away"
  8. "Let Me Know"
  9. "Save Our Love"
  10. "For A Little While"


Brew Info:

  • Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
  • Brew: Francine Pale Ale
  • Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
  • Serving: 32 ounce crowler can
  • ABV: 5.0%
  • IBUs: 40
  • Ingredients: Zappa hops and rye malt 
  • Pour: The Francine pours a fairly clear, golden amber hue with a billowy and frothy, off-white, 1+ finger head with great sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
  • Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, fruity, floral, earthy, and herbal hops, and more subtle sweeter malts.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, lemon zest, tangerine, light mango, herbal tea, pine resin, wildflowers, doughy bread, toasted malts, a hint of onion, and soft, sweet caramel/toffee.
  • Taste: The taste of the Francine is citrusy, slightly fruity, earthy, and herbal along with crackery maltiness.  There are notes of grapefruit juice, tangerine, light mango, pineapple, light pine, black tea,  crackery biscuit, and soft caramel/toffee.
  • Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly bitter, yet smooth with a dry, bitter finish

Overall pairing: The inviting hoppy flavors and aromas of the delicious and very crushable Francine Pale Ale from Fisher Brewing Company is simply perfect for the hard-rockin' punch of Axe's "Living On The Edge"!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails my friends... rock on!!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

March 13, 2024 - "If You Ravage...": An Interview with Alec "Al Ravage" Firicano, Vocalist of Ravage

 

Hey there metal maniacs!  Your heavy metal beer drinking pal the Meista here today with another great interview for you!  This one is with the very talented and friendly Alec "Al Ravage" Firicano of hard-hitting metal band Ravage!  We chatted about the band's new album "Spider On The World", the history of the band, songwriting, future plans, and much more!  Here's a link to that video interview:  https://youtu.be/wJ7kukDRq6c

Enjoy!!


Make sure to check out Ravage here:

Cheers and hails!!

*Special thanks to Benjamin Niebla II of Online Metal Promo PR for setting up this interview, to Jamie Winters for designing the Brews and Tunes logoJerry Howard for creating the Brews and Tunes intro video and to DiseNgaged for the use of their song "The Real Me" (copyright 2020)

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

March 12th, 2024 - A Little TLC From W.A.S.P.

 



Good evening rivet-heads and hopheads!  The Meista here tonight pairing W.A.S.P.'s killer sophomore album "The Last Command" and a wonderfully hoppy TLC: Tastes Like Citrus Hazy, Juicy style India Pale Ale from the fine folks at 2 Row Brewing!!  HELL. YES.

Album Info:

  • Artist: W.A.S.P.
  • Title: "The Last Command"
  • Recorded: October 1984 through mid 1985 at Pasha Music House in Hollywood, California
  • Release date: November 9th, 1985 (2nd album by W.A.S.P.)
  • Record company: Capitol Records
  • Production: Spencer Proffer
  • Album cover art: Mark "WEISSGUY" Weiss
  • Personnel: Chris Holmes (lead and rhythm guitar), Blackie Lawless (lead vocals and bass), Randy Piper (lead and rhythm guitars, and backing vocals), and Steve Riley (drums and backing vocals)
  • Additional musicians: Carlos Cavazo (additional vocals) and Chuck Wright (additional vocals)
  • Musical style: Heavy metal, shock rock, glam metal
  • Sound: "The Last Command" is one of W.A.S.P.'s best in my humble opinion. This is pure '80s L.A. metal with no apology and an unquenched hunger for fame!  Blackie and the boys' sophomore album is a no-holds-barred juggernaut of an album!  This album is pure adrenaline and testosterone.  Songs like "Ball Crusher," "Jack Action," "The Last Command," and "Sex Drive" blast you with power, aggression, and bold flavour. 
  • Major themes: Desire, lust, sex, excessive drinking, partying, rebellion, greed, violence, revenge, etc.
  • Tracks: 
  1. "Wild Child"
  2. "Ball Crusher"
  3. "Fistful Of Diamonds"
  4. "Jack Action"
  5. "Widowmaker"
  6. "Blind In Texas"
  7. "Cries In The Night"
  8. "The Last Command"
  9. "Running Wild In The Streets"
  10. "Sex Drive"


Brew Info:

  • Brewery: 2 Row Brewing (Midvale, Utah)
  • Website: http://2rowbrewing.com/
  • Brew: TLC: Tastes Like Citrus Hazy, Juicy style India Pale Ale
  • Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
  • Serving: 12 ounce bottle
  • ABV: 7.0% 
  • Pour: The TLC IPA pours a hazy and bright orange amber with a frothy 2-finger off-white head with great sustain and lots of intricate and sticky lacing.
  • Nose: The nose is characterized by a blast of citrus along with lighter malt aromas.  There are notes of orange juice, pith, and zest, grapefruit juice and rind, lemon zest, lime, mango, and light caramel.
  • Taste: The taste is like the name denotes... lots and lots of wonderful citrus flavors along with light malt.  There are notes of orange juice, orange pith and peel, tangerine, grapefruit juice, mango, pineapple, and lemon zest, light caramel, and crackery maltiness.
  • Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the TLC IPA is crisp, snappy, and very refreshing with a dry, slightly bitter, but clean finish.

Overall pairing: The bold, bitter, punchy hop blast of 2 Row's TLC IPA is perfect for the fast-paced sonic metal attack of W.A.S.P.'s classic and definitive "The Last Command"!  After drinking a can or two of TLC, the songs "Wild Child," "Blind in Texas," and "Running Wild in the Streets" become your battle anthems!  So get on over to your favorite LOCAL heavy metal record store, pick up a copy of "The Last Command," and grab a can of 2 Row's TLC: Tastes Like Citrus Hazy, Juicy style India Pale Ale... and prepare yourself for an evening of intensity, big flavour, big guitars, big hair, and unadulterated fun!  And if you down a few cans all by yourself in the time it takes "The Last Command" to play through, you can relive Chris Holms' appearance in the movie "The Decline of Western Civilization!"  Ha! 

Cheers!!  Hails!!

Monday, March 11, 2024

March 11th, 2024 - Living Their Imagination: A Follow-Up Interview with Severed Angel

 


Hey there metal maniacs!  Your heavy metal beer drinking pal the Meista here today with another great interview for you!  This one is with the very talented, very funny, and very friendly George Dimitri (bass), Lou Mavs (guitars), Marc Muchnik (keyboards), Wayne Noon (drums) and Alex Repetti (vocals and guitars) of killer New York metal band Severed Angel!  We chatted about the band's new album "Skyward", the first single/video from the album, songwriting, future plans, and much more!  Here's a link to that video interviewhttps://youtu.be/5_OkWCt1FxE

Enjoy!!


Make sure to check out Severed Angel here:

Cheers and hails!!

*Special thanks to Benjamin Niebla II of Online Metal Promo PR for setting up this interview, to Jamie Winters for designing the Brews and Tunes logoJerry Howard for creating the Brews and Tunes intro video and to DiseNgaged for the use of their song "The Real Me" (copyright 2020)