Contest - I won!

A big thank-you to all of my readers and Twitter followers who helped me win by clicking on my Jamplify link.
I won the contest to see HIM live in concert, which means I was able to take a friend with me who hadn't bought a ticket.

If you're interested in winning tickets like this for yourself, check out Jamplify - a tool artists can use to amplify their fanbase.

Fan rewards

While on the topic of fan rewards - what do you think about contests like these? I was chatting with a friend, and our conversation went to the idea that the fans who  really want to promote the band and the show probably already have tickets. Her thought was that fans would probably like other incentives and rewards - like meet & greet passes, VIP access, a concert t-shirt when the fan got to the venue, etc...

I totally agree - my ideal fan reward (within reason, of course!) would be a press pass - access behind the barrier to get awesome photos for the first three songs. (When I've had press access at concerts before, typically you only get to shoot the first three songs, and no complete song video...) Getting to bring my 'good' camera to a metal show would be amazing for me.

However, even though a huge fan would probably buy tickets on the first day they went on sale (or pretty quickly thereafter to avoid the chance of a sold-out show that he or she would miss) but might have friends who were on the fence about going - friends who might not be as enthusiastic of fans, but might just get on board after being won-over by a fantastic live show.

So, what do you think?

What would be your dream reward for this kind of thing - tickets for your friends? VIP passes? Advanced entry? A phone call on your birthday? A free digital download of a single before the album comes out? A signed poster? A Skype conversation with a band member? A hand-written note? Autographed sheet music? A piece of memorabilia like a shirt or hat worn in a video, drumsticks or guitar pics? What would make you feel really appreciated as a fan, and encourage you to spread the word even more about your favorite bands and artists?

Contest - Help me win!

On HIM's LA street team Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/HeartagramTeam), I saw a contest through Jamplify where you can win tickets to see HIM along with Volbeat, All That Remains and Airborne if the Monster Rock Allegiance tour comes through your city... (Or, in the style of Throwing Horns Abroad - through a city you want to travel to!)

Help me win, by clicking http://jamplify.com/Vl3B8k  - each unique click earns me points towards winning. THEN you can sign up for your own account, and spread the word about the show while earning points towards your own chance of winning free tickets.

Helsinki - Sons of Winter and Stars

Band: Wintersun
Venue: Tuska Open Air Metal Festival at the Suvilahti event field
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Date: June 28, 2013

I've seen Wintersun once before, at home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada when they played The Republik with Eluvitie and Varg.  The show was awesome (despite the small stage and small venue) but the fans were the really remarkable element of the show.

They were insane!

The Wintersun audience was probably the most energetic audience I've ever seen, with a great circle pit developing and a big push forward towards the stage almost immediately.

I expected nothing less when I was lucky enough to see Wintersun in their home country of Finland, at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival.

Wintersun at Tuska in Helsinki

Wintersun took the stage at 4:15pm on the first day of the show, and was one of the first acts I saw at the festival. I've never been to a festival this large before (Tuska brings in 20,000 - 30,000 metal fans per year) and Wintersun was an amazing way to start the experience.  The fans were just as energetic (despite the early hour and the hot sun) and the band seemed to really be having just as good of a time on stage, as we were all having in front of the stage.  

Wintersun at Tuska in Helsinki

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Upcoming show - Rock Allegiance Tour 2013

One of the next multi-band shows that I'll be attending is the Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Tour 2013 which will play in Calgary, Alberta on September 9th.
Other Canadian stops include:

• Hamilton, Ontario
• Abbotsford, BC
• Edmonton, Alberta

The tour features Volbeat, HIM, All That Remains (for most dates) and Airbourne.

The full tour dates are as follows:
8/23 St. Paul, MN @ The Myth *All That Remains will not be playing this date.
8/24 Twin Lakes, WI @ Shadow Hill Ranch Festival
8/25 Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
8/26 Hamilton, ON @ Copps Coliseum
8/28 Sterling Heights, MI @ Freedom Hill
8/29 Bloomington, IL @ US Cellular Coliseum
8/30 Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
8/31 Tulsa, OK @ Convention Center Arena
9/03 Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverick Centre
9/04 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
9/08 Abbotsford, BC @ Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Center
9/09 Calgary, AB @ Big 4 Building
9/10 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
9/15 Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Music Festival
9/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
9/18 Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre @ Grand Prairie
9/19 Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
9/21 Gulfport, MS @ Jones Park CPR Fest
9/22 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
9/23 Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
9/25 SAYERVILLE, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
9/26 Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage @ The Mann
9/27 Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell
9/28 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Waterfront
From: http://rockallegiance.com/
 
I find it interesting how a few of the dates have the tour coordinating with another music festival (Shadow Hill Ranch Festival in Twin Lakes, Aftershock in Sacramento, CPR Fest in Gulfport).

Luckily, I'll be able to see this show right here at home, and won't have to travel for it. If you are going to see the show, where will you be seeing it? If you could travel to any one of the cities on the tour, where would you go?

Stay tuned, I'll hopefully have photos from the shows later on in September!

Toronto - Wall of Sound

Band: Firewind
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

I first heard of Greek heavy metal band Firewind because they featured Apocalyptia on a song on their most recent album.  I actually wasn't overly keen on the song, but it turns out that it didn't really represent all of their music (at least not to my ears) so it was interesting to see them live.


(note: Apocalyptica isn't actually visually in the video, much to the complaints of Apo-fans!)

Firewind is the 'side project' of Gus G, best known as the guitar player for Ozzy Osborne.  Firewind started as a demo project to showcase Gus's talent and earn him a recording deal, but has since evolved to a stand-alone project.  For the tour, Firewind also had Kelly Sundown Carpenter standing in on vocals, after loosing their original singer Apollo Papathanasio (who reportedly couldn't keep up with the band's touring schedule.).  I didn't actually know this when I saw the show, but even then sort of felt as though the singer was somewhat detached from the rest of the band, not unlike when Apocalyptica has a guest singer come along when they tour. It looks like Kelly has subsequently joined the band, though Firewind has not reported plans for their next studio album with the new singer according to Wikipedia.  A live album is set for release in 2013 according to their website.

Gus G and Bob Katsionis

 The band played 8 songs, including:

1. Wall of Sound
2. Head Up High
3. Destination Forever
4. Few Against Many
5. World on Fire
6. The Fire & the Fury
7. Mercenary Man
8. Falling

Gus G. - founder and lead guitar for Firewind

I enjoyed Firewind, and have listened to them a bit since the show but I was glad that Turisas was the headliner, as I enjoyed them considerably more.  Still, the audience was filled with more than a few people who were there for Firewind, and considered Turisas to be a 'nice addition' to who they were really there to see. I'd definitely say that Gus G (along with keyboard player and rhythm guitar player Bob Katsionis) was an amazing showman.  Although he sometimes seemed absorbed in his own world, he really knew how to perform, and it was hard to stop watching either musician.

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Toronto - To Holmgard And Beyond

Band: Turisas
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

Right after booking a trip to Hawaii, I found out that one of my 'top-6' favourite bands was coming to Canada... at the same time I'd be in Hawaii.  Normally I'd head out to much closer Vancouver for a show, but that wasn't going to work because I'd be 5,000 kilometers southwest when the band was in Vancouver.

I considered other cities - perhaps Denver, were Emilia lives - the woman who had first introduced me to the band - but that date too was a no-go because of my pre-existing Hawaii trip.

Instead, I looked east, and figured that if I flew out on Friday and flew back to Calgary on Sunday... I could catch the Toronto show before flying off to Hawaii on Monday.

... I didn't anticipate a crazy snowstorm hitting Toronto the day before I left...


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So... where do I go?

After taking a cab to the venue (much easier than trying to take transit in the crazy snow) I wasn't entirely sure where to go... this is the problem with unknown venues (which will always be the case when traveling for shows) and little/no/late signage, I'm never terribly sure where to go.  I was going to ask one guy standing around, until I realized he was waiting for a van to unload - he was one of the members of the opening act bands!  The line up was short when I got there, but I chatted with some folks, and through random conversations, those of us with the pre-shop meet & greet passes all got together, and eventually got in before the show to meet up with the band members.

Turisas' Guitar player Jussi Wickström

The meet & greet was filled with chatting, laughter, photos, autographs, and more than a little teasing and joking, before we headed back downstairs to wait for the official doors opening.  We got the chance to check our coats before everyone, and got in for front-row-center spots for the show.

Fanatical fans

The show was awesome, of course.. (I wouldn't bother writing about it if it weren't) and I was surprised to see the number of fans in black and red 'warpaint' or dressed up in the same style as the band.  I didn't anticipate that!

Turisas also had the chance to meet up with Sharon Ehman from Toxic Vision. Although I didn't see/recognize her, based on the photos she published a few days later, we were standing almost right beside one another - I remember her camera from the show! (I rarely see big DLSRs at the front row of a metal show!)

Vocalist (the Warlord) Mathias Nygård

I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have printed set lists for me to photograph/snag as a souvenir and to share with you, but instead I'm posting some of my photos!

On violin, Olli Vänskä

Toronto - Mousefood

Band: Stolen Babies
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

Stolen Babies are an American experimental rock band from California, and they were the first act of the Guards of Glory tour, after the local opening act, Phantom, who I mentioned in my previous post.

Stolen Babies in Toronto

Featuring vocalist/accordionist Dominique Lenore Persi, bassist/guitarist Rani Sharone, and drummer Gil Sharone, I listened to a few songs on YouTube before the show to get a feel for what to expect, and I wasn't sure how the band would relate to the two other bands for the tour, Firewind and the headliner, Battle Metal band Turisas. I found Stolen Babies to be more rock than metal, and their "experimental" element was very strong; they reminded me a lot of Emilie Autumn, just with a heavier vibe.

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Toronto - Keepers of the Flame

Band: Phantom
Venue: The Mod Club
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: Feb 9, 2012

For the Guards of Glory tour in Toronto (featuring Turisas, Firewind, and Stolen Babies) a local power-metal band, Phantom warmed up the crowd with a five-song set.

Phantom's guitar player in Toronto

An early start...

The show started at an incredibly early 6:10 p.m. (with four bands, they needed the evening!) and Phantom played:

• Powers that be
• Killing concubine
• Keepers of the flame
• Riker's beard
• Citizen Pain

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Edmonton - In My Sword I Trust

Band: Ensiferum
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

The final act of the night when I attended PaganFest in Edmonton was Ensiferum, a "heroic" folk metal band from Helsinki, Finland.
This was the band that I was most looking forward to seeing at the festival, and although it was great, it wasn't quite what I had expected. On the albums, there are a number of additional sounds provided by session musicians, however the live show is pared down to include just the bare essentials (including keyboards.)

Ensiferum closing out the night at PaganFest in Edmonton

About 3/4 of the way through their set, I was getting really overheated. The moshpit wasn't terrible, but it was getting really hot, so I 'tapped out' and headed back to the far back bar for a drink of water. The guy behind me in the audience offered to save my place, which was really nice, but I thanked him and said no-thanks... I knew I needed to cool off instead. The water was free (rare!) so I tipped extra-generous instead, and got some photos from further back in the room.

When the band came out for a short encore, they started it off by singing 'happy birthday' to their keyboard player, while the bass player tapped away at her keys to provide the melody.


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Edmonton - Winteroorlog

Band: Heidevolk
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

The third band of the PaganFest metal festival was Heidevolk from the Netherlands. All of their lyrics are in Dutch, but their lyrical themes are inspired by nature and history/mythology.

Heidevolk at PaganFest

I didn't know this band before the show, and was a bit surprised to see two male singers (who didn't play anything more than frequent air-guitar) fronting the band, one handling the clean vocals while the other managed the harsh vocals. Since the show, one of the vocalists has left the band according to Wikipedia.



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Contest - Another Bloodstock giveaway

The Bloodstock contests just keep coming!

In previous posts, I wrote how you could win a one-of-a-kind Toxic Vision vest along with Bloodstock tickets, and how you could win a chance to photograph or cover Bloodstock as a journalist for Epiphone.com.

Amorphis at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival

Well, today I'm letting you know about a contest from Finnish metal masters Amorphis. By entering on their Facebook page, you could win a pair of weekend passes for the festival, and of course check out Amorphis on the Ronnie James Dio stage, along with all of the other acts of the epic metal festival. 

Just visit Amorphis' Facebook page and fill in the contest ballot for your opportunity to win. The competition closes July 26th, 2013.

(Stay tuned for my post about Amorphis at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival!)

Contest - Cover Bloodstock

This blog is still so new, that I don't think I have too many readers in the UK yet... but...

Aspiring Journalists & Photographers...

You could cover the Bloodstock Open Air Festival for Epiphone instruments!

More information is available on their website, but the basic details are:

One photographer and one journalist will have the chance to win a Grand Prize package including media passes, camping tickets, catering passes, as well as Epiphone swag and other goodies... Photos and journalism covering the event will be published on Epiphone.com

Firewind, one of the bands playing Bloodstock

If I were in the UK (or one of the other relevant eligible countries and could afford to make another international trip so soon after my last one!) I'd definitely be applying for this competition! What an amazing experience for an aspiring writer/photographer!

To enter, you'll need to supply some examples of your work - either photography or music reviews within their guidelines from a concert or show of any genre that you recently attended.

If you are already planning to head to Bloodstock, or could make the trip there if you won... entries must be submitted by July 24, 2013.  The competition is only open to residents of France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, and you must be over 18 years of age, and have no criminal record.  There's a bunch of other rules too you can find on their website.

Bloodstock Open Air music festival is the UK's premier heavy metal festival, held at Catton Hall in Walton-Upon-Trent, England, August 8-11, 2013.  The current line-up includes heavy metal heavyweights like King Diamond, Accept, Lamb of God, Sabaton, Anthrax, Slayer, Devil Driver, Gojira, Firewind, Amorphis, 3 Inches of Blood and many, many more on four stages over four days.  Just check out the website for the full line-up.

Contest - Win a Toxic Vision vest & Bloodstock tickets

If you don't already follow Toxic Vision or designer Sharon Ehman on Facebook, you should. 

Toxic Vision is giving away a pair of tickets to Bloodstock, along with a hand-delivered Toxic Vision vest featuring four of the headline acts (Slayer, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate & Lamb of God) for the UK metal festival. 

If you're lucky enough to be able to travel to the UK (or are already in the UK...) for the show, all you need to do is go to the photo on Facebook, join the nearly 1,000 other people who have entered, and "share" the photo on your wall too. You have until July 16th to enter, and the winner will be chosen at random.

Sharon writes: "I am very excited to announce that I am teaming up with Bloodstock Festival once again this year, and you can WIN this custom Toxic Vision vest (featuring the headliner bands on the back) and a pair of tickets to the festival, simply by SHARING this photo on your wall. I will personally deliver this vest to the winner at the festival (tickets will be mailed beforehand).

Toxic Vision will also be dressing festival director Vicky Gregory for the weekend. The line-up for the festival is killer, I am looking forward to making the trip over to England to party with you guys! If you see me there, stop and say hi!"

Visit Toxic Vision's Facebook page to enter

Edmonton - TrinkenTroll

Band: Trollfest
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

Trollfest is a Norweigian Folk Metal band, and probably the most surprising act of the night when I attended PaganFest in Edmonton.

The band came out on stage with bumblebee headbands, white fishnet tank tops, and other wacky costume elements, and the songs featured all of the expected metal instruments (guitar, bass, drums, vocals) but also an accordion, a mandolin, a saxophone, a cowbell, and a tambourine.

Trollfest, the second act at PaganFest

What I really loved about this band was not just the light-hearted humour (not taking yourself too seriously plays right into the Canadian sense of humour) but also the regular "connection" that I felt with the band when they were on stage. I have several shots of band members sticking their tongues out at me when I took a photo, and they seemed to really play to the crowd, not just play their material. After their set the members were back at the bar (trying to distinguish their Canadian change from the American change in their pockets while ordering vodka shots) and after their set the bassist directly handed me the setlist (hurrah for souvenirs!). While I couldn't understand their lyrics, the songs were upbeat, fun, folky metal, and I bought a CD from the merch booth at the end of the show.( The liner is just as hilarious too...)


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Edmonton - Hail to the Hammer

Band: Týr
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

Edmonton isn't far from home, so I've been there a number of times before.  For this trip I headed north using Greyhound bus, and stayed in a hotel basically across the street from the venue.

Týr was one of five bands performing for PaganFest (or more accurately, PaganFest America) and possibly the highlight of the evening for me.


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Of course, after reading more about Týr and their homeland, the Faroe Islands... I think that I have a new destination on my travel wish-list! Want to know more? Read this article about music in the Faroes!

Singer Heri Joensen

Edmonton - Honour Thy Valkyrie

Band: Helsott
Venue: Starlite Room
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date: April 9, 2013

Helsott, from Menifee, California, USA was the first act to open PaganFest in Edmonton on April 9, 2013. The band combines American Thrash/Death and Pagan Metal, and put on a very well-received show to what I felt was a fairly small audience in the upstairs Starlite Room venue.

Helsott playing PaganFest

I was actually a bit surprised to see the show not only start on time (likely because there were five acts for the night, and because they were on the road again immediately after) but also to see the audience immediately get into the spirit of the show - credit probably to the opening act, and the multiple bars in the venue.


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