LET'S PARTY AT SOUNDWAVE!!

Every February, there is a super cool festival in Australia, called Soundwave. The festivals take place on the weekends and in between the festivals, bands do headline shows with other bands from the lineup. These dates are called Sidewaves. It is a very cool idea and not to mention...it's really fun! This year I travelled with Killer Be Killed, who was one of the bands on the bill. Our Sidewave shows were with Lamb of God. Talk about a riot!!

Max, Troy and Greg before the gig

Besides the energy of the music and live shows, one of the raddest things is meeting people from other bands, catching up with long-time friends and eating in the catering with zillions of rockstars! This year, Max and I even travelled in a van with a Fall Out Boy and passed Bill Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, whose dressing room was near ours! Haha! The dudes from Of Mice & Men were super down to earth also. And don't forget the groupies...damn, they were screaming and chasing All Time Low through the airports!

I set up a couple secret meet and greets with Max at the hotels early in the day, for some of my special FB friends to get their Max books autographed. It was killer to meet them for real instead of in messages! Max, me and the KBK'ers also went to a koala park called Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and ventured through the jungle. We saw Tasmanian devils, platypuses and kangaroos...oh and don't forget the leather jacketed bats!

Rob Halford came on the last day and congratulated Max on his new band, KBK, and we talked about when Rob came to the Bootlegger's to see Richie when he was only 2 days old. I said, "Rob, you got on your knee by the bassinet and gave Richie the Kiss of Metal!" He said "and what's he doing now?" I replied that Incite had played the Troubadour the night before and Rob smiled and said "Metal." It was Gangster!

Max and Rob

Me and Rob

I also saw Mayhem for the first time and I will say, their show was bombastic and I loved the rocking, raging set list! The guys are so down to earth and nice! Crossfaith was a new band that I fell in love with immediately. Their energy reminded me of Igor and Zyon's Moldbreaker days! I really loved their performance! Slipknot raged and put on a kickass show too, but that's too be expected ! The revolving and rising drum kits on the sides of the stage were cool as shizzle! Lamb of God tore it up on Sidewave and Zetro and Exodus and I bonded by blood! I love that guy!

Max and Godflesh

Max w/ Jay Weinburg of Slipknot

Slipknot

Mayhem

Max and Mayhem

Max with Crossfaith

Corey / Slipknot

Me and Crossfaith

All in all it was a great time and hats off to AJ for masterminding such a work of art! Lots of preparations, calculations and demolition of eardrums! Looking forward to bringing my other bands some day, to rock the house in Australia! Oh, and lets not forget the label and John Howorth for the hard work, the famous twins Paul and Andrew Haug-the Australian Metal hosts- and the fans who rocked the house from dusk till dawn! I wish it was February every month!

Killing it at dinner!

Home sweet home!

Class dismissed....