OVERLOAD

Beat By Beat

Musical style

While recognized within the ranks of Nitzer Ebb, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy as pioneers in introducing industrial music to mainstream audiences, KMFDM describes their sound as "the Ultra-Heavy Beat". KMFDM's earliest output is more accurately described as performance art, as Konietzko incorporated not only visuals but non-musical devices (e.g. vacuum cleaners) as instruments. Their albums from the 1980s featured heavy sampling and studio manipulations, and the primary instruments used were synthesizers and drum machines. With the addition of guitarist Günter Schulz, KMFDM shifted to a more "industrial metal" style, with heavy guitar riffs driving their sound. With the release of Angst in 1993, KMFDM were nearly discovered by the mainstream with their hit single "A Drug Against War". In spite of the band's "anti-MTV", "anti-mainstream" attitude, the video of "A Drug Against War" was circulated in heavy rotation on MTV and was even featured on the MTV cartoon Beavis & Butt-head.

Since the release of 1989's UAIOE, KMFDM's music has been a fusion of electronic and heavy metal, with elements of reggae, ska, and even rap. Many songs feature prominent backing vocals by female singers, notably Dorona Alberti, Cheryl Wilson, Jennifer Ginsberg, Abby Travis, and Lucia Cifarelli. Frequent KMFDM contributor Raymond Watts incorporates the style of his own musical project PIG, which, while primarily industrial, features elements of jazz, orchestral music, and a reliance on verbal sampling.

After the band's three-year hiatus which ended in 2002, KMFDM adopted a more "traditional" rock sound, that is, recording and performing with a typical band lineup — lead vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarist, bassist, and drummer — while continuing to incorporate electronics and sampling.

From KMFDM's inception, the band has been highly political. Their lyrics typically call for the rejection of and resistance to incompetent rule in capitalist society, as well as outrage over terrorism, violence, oppression, censorship, and most explicitly, war. Their songs often feature samples of news broadcasts and speeches by political leaders, usually in an expression of irony.

KMFDM are not without a sense of humor, however. Nearly every album features a song in which they lampoon themselves, particularly evident in the lyrics to "More & Faster", "Sucks", "Light", "Inane", and "Megalomaniac". Their knack for self-parody came to a head in 2003 with the song "Intro" from the album WWIII, in which Konietzko takes a jab at each band member — including himself — with a tongue-in-cheek and slightly irreverent verse.

Konietzko has cited T. Rex, David Bowie, and Frank Zappa as inspiration in the early stages of KMFDM. Zappa is heavily referenced on the albums Don't Blow Your Top and UAIOE.^[1]

Front Page

Not part of our scene directly, but will have a big influence hopefully..PAGE. CIRCA 2002.
Jon scored the 1st ever cross medal in the Elite mens race today.
UNREAL!

METH

Atrocity Exhibition

Not part of our scene, but the EERIE EFFECT is too awesome to not be scene.

Rollin with Joe Lekovish via Velo News..

Cheesehead in Europe
It's great to hear about Trebon, Page, Compton and the rest, but I think the story you guys are really missing is that of Tristan Schouten. Here's a guy from the heartland, who was doing his pre-World's training in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, motor-pacing behind a scooter in 15F weather, over ice and snow.

The guy's got a huge amount of support from his fans in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and the rest of the Midwest.

Check out his web-log.

It'll be great to hear more about him!
Sincerely,
Joe Lekovish
Northville, Michigan

MAN ..Joe you get around! yea tristan isnt from our scene, but joe is and he's on the ball when it comes to bringin pub, some may say Tristan doesnt belong there, But fact is he's there now and hopefully will make the most out of what may become a good start. Thanks Joe, for makin US look so good!

Warrior on the Edge of Time

DRUGZAR

GO TO HELL

KMFDM

KMFDM is an industrial rock band and the brainchild of founding member Sascha Konietzko. KMFDM was founded in Paris on February 29, 1984 as a joint effort between Konietzko and German painter/multi-media performer Udo Sturm to perform for the opening of an exhibition of young European artists at the Grand Palais. Sturm had no lasting musical aspirations and Konietzko was interested in studio recordings more than the occasional art-performance, therefore he joined forces with then-Hamburg-based studio owner Raymond Watts and drummer Klaus Schandelmaier, later known as En Esch. After working the Hamburg underground and releasing three albums on European labels they began their relationship with Wax Trax! Records in Chicago, Illinois. After touring with Ministry in 1989–1990, they were signed to Wax Trax! Records and quickly became a part of the industrial music scene in Chicago that included Ministry, Front 242 and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. Konietzko then moved to Chicago; Esch followed a year later. After close friend and president of Wax Trax! Records Jim Nash died of AIDS, KMFDM relocated to Seattle, Washington.

KMFDM has no fixed line-up; rather, it is a "revolving-door" collaboration of contributors. Konietzko is the only member that has been directly involved with every KMFDM project. En Esch, Raymond Watts, and guitarist Günter Schulz are other key members in the band's history.

Other notable musicians that have contributed to KMFDM projects include Bill Rieflin of Ministry/R.E.M., Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy and ohGr, John DeSalvo of Chemlab, Tim Skold of Shotgun Messiah/Marilyn Manson, F.M. Einheit of Einstürzende Neubauten, Nina Hagen, and spoken word artist Nicole Blackman. Additionally, Chemlab, Die Warzau, Nine Inch Nails, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, and Giorgio Moroder have remixed music for KMFDM.

"rise and reverberate",

"amphetamine gonzoid filth is dead"

Are You Ready

With all the cross talk still rumbling, Posts of a different nature more often, team changing and the cold weather now solidly upon us, TMS hasnt forgot whats on the horizon. A great season and hot race action. dress warm and get those base miles in, and get ready.. becuause your competition is.

To The Planet Edge

The Final Descent

The last Moment before the coffin is lowerd

Legal battle

After the demise of the Misfits, Glenn Danzig focused on his new band project, Samhain, which was darker and more experimental than The Misfits, with more emphasis on creating a grim atmosphere and less on poppy melodies. Meanwhile, Jerry Only and his brother Doyle moved to Vernon, NJ, where they went to work full time in their father's machine parts factory. During this time, Only became more focused on his family and his baby daughter, Kathy. He became more serious about his Christian faith, and regretted some of the things he took part in during his time with the Misfits. He watched as Danzig continued to grow in popularity with Samhain, a band that Only viewed as evil and Satanic. In 1987, Only decided to start a new band, one that would oppose the "dark path" chosen by Danzig. Together with Doyle, Only (who changed his stage name to "Mo the Great") started writing songs for a Christian heavy metal band with barbarian imagery, called Kryst The Conqueror. They then created the "Doyle Fan Club" to help spread the word about their new band. Despite Only's efforts, Kryst the Conqueror failed to gain a following. Although they released one limited edition EP, the band never played live.

Also in 1987, Samhain, after touring extensively and releasing two full-length albums and an EP, were signed to a major label and the band's name was changed to Danzig. Although the Misfits had gone mostly unnoticed during their seven years as an active band, by the late 80's, they were becoming icons of the underground music world, thanks in part to word of mouth, Metallica's public adoration for the band, and Danzig's success with Samhain. The Misfits' back catalogue had been reissued and was selling extremely well. Around this time, Only contacted Danzig about getting a cut of the Misfits' royalties, beginning a legal battle that lasted several years. Only concedes that Danzig wrote nearly all the lyrics and most of the music, but he contended that he and Doyle "wrote 25% or maybe 30% of the music," [1] and deserved compensation. Danzig, on the other hand, insisted that he himself wrote all songs, and that the other Misfits' creative input was minimal at best.

In late 1988, Danzig, the band, released its eponymous debut album, the first release on star producer Rick Rubin's new Def American record label. Seven years later, in 1994 Danzig broke into the mainstream when the live video for its first album song, "Mother", became a hit on MTV, introducing thousands of new fans to Danzig's back catalog, and to his work with Samhain and the Misfits.

Around this time, many older punk bands began to do reunion tours, earning often hefty paychecks in the process. In 1994-95 Jerry Only and Doyle approached Danzig about reuniting as the Misfits, and they even went to his hotel room after a Danzig show in New Jersey. In interviews Only jokingly remarked that security escorted them from the property, and "we took that as a 'no'". Only decided to cease his pursuit of songwriting credits, and instead tried to reach an out-of-court settlement that would allow him to use "the Misfits" name and images. In 1995, Only and Danzig finally settled, with Only gaining the rights to record and perform as the Misfits, but sharing merchandising rights with Danzig.

[edit] The resurrected Misfits

Jerry and Doyle reformed The Misfits immediately, retaining Kryst the Conqueror drummer, Dr. C.H.U.D., and holding open auditions for a new vocalist (Jerry had approached Damned vocalist Dave Vanian about filling the open position, but Dave denied the offer). Michael Emanuel, a nineteen year old New Jersey native, impressed them with his audition, and was soon established as the new vocalist, taking the stage name, Michale Graves.

This new incarnation of The Misfits (sometimes referred to as "The Newfits", "MisfitsTM", "Jerry Only Band", or "Misfits 95") released their debut album, American Psycho, in 1997. The album was fairly well received, introducing The Misfits to a new generation of fans. However, many fans of the original Misfits had trouble accepting the band's renewed existence without its founder and key songwriter, Glenn Danzig, who usually refuses to acknowledge the new band's existence, and does so only with derision. Detractors also took issue with the new band's focus on a more "cartoony" image, and Jerry Only's apparent desire to make the band more family-friendly, by refraining from the use of vulgarities in their new songs. These issues became hotly debated amongst fans of the Misfits, resulting in many choosing sides between Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only. The fact that both Danzig and Only repeatedly criticized each other in interviews served to further divide the fan base.

In May of 1998, Michale Graves went on hiatus from the band. The Misfits were then briefly fronted by lead singer Myke Hideous of the New Jersey goth/deathrock band, The Empire Hideous, during their subsequent South American and European tour. Hideous was purportedly forced out by Jerry and Doyle for an unwillingness to "pump up" by lifting weights (The Misfits with Graves and Chud were featured as Characters in WCW wrestling), and left the band after the European tour. Hideous recounts details of his stint singing for the Misfits in his book "King of an Empire to the Shoes of a Misfit". Michale Graves rejoined the band later that year.

In October of 1999, The Misfits released Famous Monsters, a diverse album that further established their own sound apart from the Glenn Danzig era of the band. In 2001, The Misfits released Cuts From The Crypt, a collection of rare and unreleased "resurrected" Misfits tracks. On October 25, 2000, after months of internal band turmoil, Michale Graves and Dr. Chud officially quit the band during a performance at the House of Blues in Orlando. Doyle then took an indefinite hiatus from performing, effectively putting an end to another era of the band.

[edit] 25th anniversary and beyond

Jerry then took over lead vocals in addition to his bass duties, and recruited punk veterans Dez Cadena of Black Flag, and Marky Ramone of The Ramones to undertake a Misfits 25th Anniversary Tour, which lasted about three years, intermittently.

Freed from the Misfits' contractual obligations to Universal's Geffen and Roadrunner imprints, Only and Misfits confidant John Cafiero formed Misfits Records and launched their new label with two releases, the American debut of Balzac (a Japanese horror punk band strongly influenced by The Misfits and Samhain), and a new Misfits album featuring the band's retakes on ten 1950's rock classics, Project 1950. The album featured not only the punk rock all-star Misfits lineup of Only, Cadena and Ramone, but prominent appearances from 60's pop chanteuse Ronnie Spector , Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri and also saxophonist Ed Manion from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. Cafiero also featured strongly on backing vocals.

Meanwhile Michale Graves and Dr. Chud had formed their own band, Graves, which released a single album before breaking up. In 2003, Michale Graves sang in Gotham Road. Currently, Graves is fronting his own solo project, Michale Graves, while Dr. Chud is fronting for his own band called Dr. Chud's X-Ward.

On February 28, March 1 and March 2, 2005, Glenn Danzig performed a half hour worth of classic Misfits tracks, in the middle of his Danzig set. Joining him on guitar was none other than Doyle. It was the first time the two have performed together in 20 years, and the first time Doyle has taken to the stage since he went on hiatus. These shows have prompted rumours of a reunification of Jerry, Doyle and Glenn, although Danzig has repeatedly made public statements shooting down such rumors. Glenn and Doyle plan on performing more shows together, and Glenn has stated that this is as close as anyone will ever get to seeing a true Misfits reunion.

Recently, Marky Ramone has left The Misfits 25 lineup, and the new lineup contains none other than Robo, formerly of the Glenn Danzig days of the Misfits, and originally of seminal hardcore punk band Black Flag. A full European tour has been booked with this new lineup, and some select dates in the U.S. have been announced. The UK leg of the tour had to be cancelled due to a problem with Robo's visa, and as a result the band could not play the City Invasion 2005 tour. A rescheduled UK tour followed in September.

Marky appeared alongside the new line up of The Misfits in late 2006 while touring as a member of Osaka Popstar.

The Misfits and their Japanese counterparts, Balzac, staged a show at Tony Bennett's studio complex in Englewood, N.J., for a possible future live CD and/or DVD release on Misfits Records. Original Misfits guitarist Franché Coma made a guest appearance to perform three songs from the Static Age LP. Meanwhile, Doyle returned to play with Danzig for the Blackest of the Black Tour in the fall of 2005. Glenn claims that this will be his final tour, though he says he will continue to make music. He is currently slated as the producer for Doyle's upcoming band, Gorgeous Frankenstein, which currently lacks a lead vocalist, but will feature Argyle Goolsby on bass.

The Misfits are currently writing and recording material for a new studio album which they began work on in early 2006. The album will apparently feature Dez Cadena on guitar and Robo on drums. They have yet to say whether Dez will contribute to songwriting and singing. The material planned for the new release, according to the band, is intended to be "the hardest, most aggressive Misfits material to see the pressing plant since Earth A.D.".

[edit] Legacy

The influence The Misfits have had on punk rock, and rock music in general, sometimes seems disproportionate to the publicity and critical attention they have received. Myriad bands have imitated The Misfits' style, such as Balzac, Blitzkid, and Calabrese, and these bands have become known as horror punk. Psychobilly has various similarities with horror punk.

A number of bands have recently surfaced which, although in some cases less obviously horror punk, are still strongly visibly and audibly influenced by The Misfits. These include, most notably, bands such as AFI, Alkaline Trio, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Avenged Sevenfold, Wednesday 13 and the Murderdolls. Many musical groups whose resemblance to The Misfits seems far removed also cite the band as crucial influences, such as Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Guns N' Roses. Other bands who hold The Misfits in high regard are Slayer, Pantera, NOFX and more recently, Slipknot. Local south Texas group V.A.T.(standing for Vomited Anal Tract, a name of a Carcass song) stated that they could not imagine high school without it. Many local New Jersey hardcore, punk, emo and alt rock such as My Chemical Romance and The Banner, cite The Misfits as a main influence. Winnipeg born Breakcore artist Venetian Snares considers the Misfits a huge influence, inspired by the subtle, but frequent use of 3/4 time. Also New Jersey based bands Northfall Division and Royal Stigma cite The Misfits as a major influence. These underground 80's punk groups have used the lyrics from many Misfits songs as basis for the lyrics of their own songs

The Misfits' far reaching influence is also evident in the vast number of fans from all different facets of the music world who follow the band. Wildly popular among punk rock fans, the band has also received much exposure to the heavy metal community from Metallica's numerous Misfits cover songs. Misfits fans themselves can often be easily discerned, as many completely immerse themselves in the band's imagery. At underground shows, and especially at Halloween, it is not uncommon to see many punks and metalheads dressed in black with Crimson Ghost facepaint and the devilock hairstyle. Black leather jackets, oversized leather boots, as well as gloves and bodysuits printed with the skeletal structure are also common.

The Misfits have greatly influenced the Grenade snowboard apparel company run by the two-time Olympic silver medalist and professional snowboarder Danny Kass, and his brother Matt. The Kass brothers grew up in New Jersey and are long time Fiends. Danny is a good friend of Jerry Only's son and used to skateboard on a halfpipe in the Only's back yard. Numerous Grenade products are Misfit tributes using or drawing from Misfits imagery. In classic Misfits tradition, Grenade allows 'soldiers' to enlist in their 'Army' to receive stickers and other items, following along the lines of the Misfits' Fiend Club. Grenade follows in the vein of DIY mentality displayed by the Misfits and many punk bands, and reflects its influence on snowboarding today.

Misfits posters and shirts have been spotted in numerous films and TV shows, such as Click, Men in Black, Detroit Rock City, Shorties Watchin' Shorties, and Saved by the Bell.

Recently My Chemical Romance did a cover of the song Astro Zombies for the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland videogame. The band Aiden did a cover of Die, Die My Darling for the Kerrang magazine compilation. Also in the Red Hot Chili Peppers video, Dani California, lead singer Anthony Kiedis represented the Misfits by dressing like Glenn Danzig in a portion of the video. A Green Day side project known as The Network recently did a cover of the song 'Teenagers From Mars' which originally appeared on the Misfits album 'Static Age'.

In 2006 the band Sum 41 recorded a cover of the song Attitude, for their MySpace and as a B-side for their new album expected to be released in early 2007.

Brodie Foster Hubbard has not only performed Misfits songs at his live shows, but fronts a Misfits tribute band called 138 with members of Night Wolf. The title and album cover of his second CD release, Legacy of Sentimentality, was an homage to the Misfits collection Legacy of Brutality. His third CD release, Don't Screw Up Like I Did, concludes with a cover of "Astro Zombies."

• The song "London Dungeon" is based on an experience Glenn Danzig had in a London jail cell, and is also the name of a murder museum in London.

In common with the Ramones, The Misfits have had some of their songs covered by The Nutley Brass - on the album The Misfits Meet The Nutley Brass Fiend Club Lounge - in a lounge music style.

In the Lamb Of God DVD Killadelphia, D. Randall Blythe, the bands vocalist can be seen wearing Misfits Slip-Ons shoes in one of the hidden features when the band records their commentary. All the old schoolers check the concert flyer from the Greystone and Bookies...betcha those emo punks buying there Misfits garb at HOTTOPIC dont know this place exsited!

Blood Money

WORLDS PICK

our pick, Sven and we couldnt leave out his ever hot significant other...

Hybrid Moments

Walk Among Us

Walk Among Us

In March of 1982, Ruby/Slash Records released Walk Among Us, the first full length Misfits album to be available to the public. Walk Among Us would later be considered by most fans to be the quintessential Misfits album, as well as one of the best punk albums of all time. The band began playing shows again after nearly a year. They started to become notorious for their intense stage presence and brutal live performances. Doyle was a sports athlete like his brother, and shared his linebacker physique, which, coupled with their ghoulish appearance, caused some to view them as two of punks most intimidating axemen. Between the brothers, Glenn Danzig would bellow out his morbid lyrics while thrashing around on stage or crawling around on the floor, sometimes throwing and receiving punches from the crowd. Despite Glenn's smaller stature at about 5'5", he was fond of fighting, and enjoyed taunting the crowd, and instigating violence.

Perhaps the most infamously violent Misfits show took place in San Francisco on April 10, 1982. During the show some people in the crowd began to throw cans of beer at the stage. After Doyle was nearly hit in the head with a full beer can, he smashed his guitar over a crowd member's head, instigating a full out riot.

Arthur Googy and Danzig argued often and finally ,after a lengthy argument, Danzig kicked him out of the Misfits. The Misfits had to cancel their plans to record their next EP, which they had planned on calling Earth A.D..

In need of a drummer, they offered the role to Doyle's friend and classmate, Eerie Von, who had served as an occasional photographer and roadie for The Misfits. Eerie reluctantly turned down the offer because he had already committed to drumming for the local band Rosemary's Babies. Black Flag vocalist, Henry Rollins, who had become great friends with The Misfits during their west coast gigs, informed ex-Black Flag drummer, ROBO, that The Misfits were in need of a drummer. In July of 1982, ROBO flew to the east coast and joined the band.

Doyle graduated High School and began working full time at his father's machine shop with Jerry. They used their earnings to purchase new instruments (because they tended to smash theirs on a weekly basis), and to fund The Misfits tours, recording sessions, and album pressings. While they provided funding for the band, Glenn would handle the Fiend Club and work on composing new songs. A common misconception is that Glenn only wrote lyrics and sang for The Misfits. Glenn is a multitalented musician, and would often write new songs himself and later teach them to his band mates at practice, where the songs would become fleshed out (Practices were usually held in Jerry's garage, which they referred to as "The Pit.").

[edit] Decaying

In September of 1982, The Misfits embarked on a large scale tour with their friends, The Necros, opening for them. During the tour, The Misfits stopped by a studio to record the instrumental tracks for the Earth A.D. EP while Glenn slept. On October 17, the band was arrested in New Orleans on the charges of grave-robbing while in search of the burial place of voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau. The Misfits denied the charges, and a witness reportedly attested that they had not even entered the cemetery gates. The band bailed themselves out of jail and skipped court to drive to their next performance in Florida. Upon returning from the tour, The Misfits released an album of live material called Evilive.

During this time Glenn was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with The Misfits, for reasons that are disputed. He began to write songs for a new band project, which he considered calling "Danzig", but instead chose to name "Samhain", after the ancient Celtic holiday which influenced the modern Halloween celebration.

In July of 1983, The Misfits went into the studio to finish working on Earth A.D. They decided to record and add two of their new songs to the album, making it closer to full length status. In order to make it a proper full length album, Glenn decided to record two of the songs he had intended for Samhain: "Bloodfeast" and "Death Comes Ripping". The resulting album was Earth A.D., a gritty, thrashy album which none of the members were quite satisfied with. In August, after a series of arguments with Glenn, ROBO decided to leave the band. Glenn became further disenchanted with The Misfits and began to audition musicians for his new band project.

On October 29, 1983 (see 1983 in music), The Misfits played their yearly Halloween show in Detroit, Michigan. Glenn had selected Brian Damage to be the new Misfits drummer. However, Brian got drunk before the show and continuously messed up the songs. After several songs Doyle escorted Brian off the stage and the drummer for the Necros filled in for the rest of the set. The band members were visibly upset with each other and Glenn informed the audience that it would be the last Misfits show ever. The next day the band members drove back home without saying a word to each other and went about their respective lives.

The last show of the original Misfits was at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ, in November, 1983, when the band showed up unexpectedly with their equipment and played an abbreviated set.^{[citation needed]}

DAMAGE DONE