Producer Ross Robinson and MOPA on tacos, metal, and Taco Metal!
Welcome to “Taco the Town”, the most delicious interview show on the Interwebs!
Because our studio is still all sticky from our 3rd annual “Double Dare” memorial anniversary show, we’ll be talking to famous musicians, authors, balloon boys, conspiracy theorists, actors, dinosaur impressionists and models in the one place that everyone can agree on: The Taco Stand!
Today we’ll be talking to super-producer Ross Robinson and his latest act, MOPA (My Own Private Alaska). Ross Robinson is, of course, famous for producing everyone from Korn and The Deftones to At the Drive-In and The Cure. MOPA, Ross’s latest project, is perhaps the world’s first (and only) hardcore metal band to abstain from the traditional guitar and bass in favor of a classical piano. You read that right: Classical Piano Metal. Also, they are French. And they love tacos. Check it all out right here, exclusively on CraveOnline!
Exclusive interview with one of LA’s top unsigned acts
Bedtime For Toys isn’t intimidated one bit by the impending collapse of the music industry.
Like many of the enterprising young bands in town, they have cultivated a live act that wins fans over with energetic skill and a genuine party atmosphere in lieu of record label marketing dollars. Unlike many of the other bands in town, they have constructed a musically diverse sound that relies more on a strangely satisfying mix of old school punk and R&B than it does on the fake ironic nostalgia served up by many of their lesser peers.
We talked to the core members of the group about their origins, their secret talents and why singer Marchelle B. isn’t allowed to rap anymore (but really ought to have that restriction lifted)…
Now I’m not usually one to advocate cock-rock bands like Buckcherry, (even if they did once do a totally sweet cover of “Anything, Anything” by Dramarama) but one thing that I am an advocate of is titties in videos. After all, music videos have always banked on sexy babes to sell the band, that’s nothing new. And now that MTV doesn’t show videos any more, there’s nothing stopping sleazy rock bands from telling the girls to just go ahead and take off their goddamn tops already, amirite? It’s only going to be seen on the Internet anyway, so why not? Check out the X-rated video for Buckcherry’s “Too Drunk to Fuck” right here, which I can assure you is not a cover or of the old Dead Kennedy’s song. But be warned that, like the Hollywood Undead video posted last week, it is totally NSFW!
The June free MP3 roundup this month is so baddass, even Skeletor is bumpin’ it whilst chilling on Snake Mountain, plotting his latest minion dishwashing schedule or whatever the hell it is that he does when not trying to take over Eternia…
And since there is nothing more metal than a blue-skinned leather daddy with a skull for a face that sits on a thrown made of monster bones, I’d say that’s a fair endorsement of this month’s hardcore selection! (But the hipster tracks are pretty good too!)
Artist: French Kicks
Song: Abandon
FRENCH KICKS are so precociously indie, you’ll be surprised that they didn’t record the whole “Juno” soundtrack themsleves! These guys have great potential to be the next big indie rock success. Abandon
Artist: Blake9
Song: Always Something
Candlewax Records CEO, founder and producer BLAKE9 is well versed in old school and future school techniques, combining styles like a good bartender combines liquor, serving up a stiff glass of shut the f**k up so overrated pricks like Kanye can solemnly drink it up, knowing full well that their rhymes could be tighter…
Always Something
Artist: Clinic
Song: The Witch
CLINIC has been around for awhile, and has never really achieved breakout success despite massive critical approval. That has never stopped the press from trying, though, so here goes again: Buy a goddamn Clinic album already! What’s wrong with you people?
The Witch
Metal band plays at disgraced author’s book signing!
By Jeremy Azevedo
Do you remember the author, James Frey, who wrote “A Million Little Pieces”, a memoir that became an Oprah book club selection? And then it turns out that a lot of the stuff in the book was made up? Well it turns out that Frey is still working, despite being shamed on live television, has a new book out, and loves metal!
But this isn’t really about James Frey, really, although it was maybe supposed to be. See, Frey had it in his mind that having a rock band play at his book reading would make the whole show more entertaining, and perhaps even endear him to a younger crowd. As such, he hired heavy metal band “Black Tide” to play at his show, which was a free, all ages event… at Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood of all places.
Now I’m not trying to make broad generalizations here, but in my own personal experience, metal heads are not known to be the most literate of people. Especially teenage metal heads that live in or near Hollywood. It became apparent fairly early on that the majority of the “guests” in attendance were only there for a free metal show. Words cannot describe how awkward the question and answer period after Frey’s reading was, but I can tell you that his frustration with the crowd was clearly obvious. And the guy that went before him? He looked like he was going to jump out of the window, if there even was one.
Anyway, the moral of the story was that I had an interview with the band afterward, the results of which I have taken some minor liberties with in order to punch things up (In the style of James Frey, of course). Following is my account of that interview with Black Tide bassist Zakk Sandler, and guitarist Lexx Nunez.
