Interview With Pop Punk Band ‘Wicked Bears’

So it’s time for another band interview and it’s the turn of 3 piece Salt Lake City Pop Punk Band Wicked Bears so without further ado lets jump right into the interview.

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1. How did the band form?

Casey (bass): We’ve been friends for a long time, thanks to playing in other bands and having mutual friends.I saw Nick (guitar) listening to Masked Intruder on Spotify one day during work, and I was also listening to Masked Intruder. So I texted him about it, and that was the beginning. Nick texted Ken (drums) about it, and we rehearsed a week or so later.  It’s a pretty boring story, but if there were a cooler story to tell we’d definitely use that one

2. How would you describe your musical style?

Fast, melodic, and easy to grab a hold of. We try to play pop punk that we’d like if we were sitting in the back of your car hanging out. But if we’re sitting in your car, maybe musical style isn’t your biggest concern right now. How did these three grown men get into your car?

3. You have released your new 6 track EP can you tell us a little bit about the recording process?

We gave ourselves a time limit. We didn’t want to spend a lot of money because money is hard to come by sometimes, so we said we’d give ourselves one weekend to record our six songs. We had them about 95% written at that point, so we didn’t need to worry about coming up with more than backing vocals in the studio. We got all the tracking done on a Saturday and Sunday. After that, the mixing and mastering took about a week, and as soon as we had the tracks ready, we put them up on Bandcamp.

4. What shows do you have lined up to promote the new EP

We’re playing with Red City Radio on May 18th! It’s at a new venue in Salt Lake City called the Beehive Social Club. Our friends from here in Utah, Uncle Dirt, are playing as well.

5. Who would you say is the biggest musical influence on the band?

We all grew up playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and that’s one space that gave us common ground as musicians and friends. Killer tunes and sick combos are what we grew up on. Also, Nick really loves Bowling for Soup, so if you hear some of that in there, it’s his fault.

6. How did you come to be signed to Hidden home records?

As soon as we had our tracks ready, we put them on Bandcamp and told all our friends. We’ve only been around for about eight months, so the reception we received was unexpected. Word spread of the record, and our friend Rob at Hidden Home sent over a message on facebook, to see if we wanted to work with him. We’ve known Rob a long time now, so the relationship escalated pretty quickly. Hidden Home has been an inspiration, and a great help to us.

7. Do you have any plans to come over and tour in the UK?

No! Not because we don’t want to, but because we’re in Salt Lake City, Utah, and that’s 7200 km away (4500 miles, for the unrefined). Our only option is a long distance relationship for now. Which can sometimes be ideal. We get to hang out with our friends on the weekend, you don’t have to worry about our schedule, we can watch american football, you can watch actual football; it will make our eventual union very sweet.

8. Tell our readers a fun fact about the band that they may not know?

Ken owns a DVD on ska and raggae drumming called Wicked Beats . He was texting about it, and when referring to the DVD, accidentally typed Wicked Bears. When his phone exploded immediately afterward, he knew he was on to something special.

9. Can you give our music savvy readers some information on what equipment the band uses?

Ken plays a DW collectors kit, a Sonar snare, and Zildjian K series cymbals.  Nick plays a Reverend Buckshot with a Vox AC30 amp. Casey plays a homemade bass with a Fender ‘58 split pickup, with an Ampeg SVT-3 amp head and an Ampeg 410 cab.

10. Finally what advice would you give any up and coming musicians?

Set goals! Decide when you want things to happen, then do your best to make it happen. This whole record is a product of us deciding what we want to do, when we want it done by, and then executing on that timeline.

You can check out wicked bears new EP in its entirety free on band camp at the following link:- https://wickedbears.bandcamp.com/

You can also keep updated with what the band are up to on Facebook either by searching for Wicked Bears or following this this link:- https://www.facebook.com/WickedBearsSLC/

And finally on Twitter by searching for or clicking the link @WickedBears

Stu’s Track Of The Week 09/05/16

So it’s time for my track of the week and this week I have choosen The Ataris cover of the song The boys of summer originally written by Don Henley. This song has been constantly stuck in my head for some time so thought I would share this track with you all and the fact that Summer is almost upon us.

So press play, turn up loud, sing along and enjoy. Tune in next week to hear my track of the week by @deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com

Interview With Rising ‘British MMA Star’ Scott Clist

So I was asked to interview a local cage fighter from my home town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire Scott Clist and of course jumped at the chance. So please read my interview with Scott below I hope you enjoy.

1) How did you get into MMA?

I have always done some form of training since the age of about 5 years old when my father taught me and my older brother how to box in our living room.

I started Karate from the age of 10 and then progressed into kickboxing.  I have studied some form of martial arts ever since.

I have competed in so many different styles of martial arts that MMA was the next thing to do. it was just something that was suggested I do by my sponsor (Spitfire fight equipment) in  2006 so he arranged a semi pro fight for me  and I went into it with limited knowledge on the ground game. I knew how to do a double leg takedown, a rear naked choke, an arm barr from mount and guard position. I went in thinking my kickboxing would carry me through.

2) What does a normal days training consist of for you?

If I am in fight camp then training is much more intense. I will wake up and either go to the Contender gym and work boxing or strength and conditioning.  Depending on the day. Some days it will be footwork and movement, other days it will be power and speed training.

I’ll have breakfast then shower and go to work.

In the evenings I go to Dragonslair in Melksham and work MMA. Depending on who I am fighting we will work either wrestling, submissions or positions followed by sparring. When we get closer to the fight I will get shark tanked.

Shark tank is where One fighter stays in the cage and a new opponent is put in every round so the fighter is getting tired and has to spar with fresh opponents. You really have to be pushed every session.

I train 6 days a week, sometimes 3 times in one day.

3) Would you ever consider entering The Ultimate Fighter?

I actually tried out for the Ultimate fighter when it was UK vs Australia. I made it to all the way through on my skills and was standing in the last 16 when they picked the final 8 for the show. I understand that the producers were looking for a specific type to make the show interesting for viewers. I was unlucky that I didn’t get picked.

4) You have just come off a fantastic TKO win against Brad Wheeler what’s on the cards next for you?

I will keep winning my fights and progress as a fighter.  I will fight on cagewarriors again and people will see me in the UFC soon.

5) You have your own gym called Revolution gym what inspired you to set this up?

I actually don’t run Revolution anymore.

I fought on an 8 man tournament couple years back and my mental game wasn’t really where it should have been because I was teaching fighters it was very hard to focus on my own training. The fight made me realise that I had to make a choice between being a teacher/coach of fighter because at the level I am now fighting I really need to focus on my own training and grow as a fighter. I now train at Dragonslair in Melksham and to be honest I really wish I had made that move 10 years ago. I am a much better fighter now than I ever was and that’s because I have some of the best coaches in the country. Stu pike and UFC fighter Brad Scott at Dragonslair and Mark Kent and Wayne smith at Contender gym .

6) What advice would you give to someone who is trying to get into the MMA game?

Find a good gym with good coaches. People who can develop you as a athlete.

So many gyms pop up promoting classes in MMA but the instructors have never competed so don’t know if what they are teaching works under pressure.  Find a gym with proven results and coaches who know what they are doing and are not just concerned with taking your money.

7) Do you prefer UFC or Ballator?

UFC .

8) If you could fight anyone from the UFC past or present who would you pick and why?

Matt Hughes former welterweight Champion because he was my favourite fighter when I started watching MMA and I followed his career. I think he was a great champion. I would also like to fight Anthony Pettis because I think he is a great fighter.

9) What do you think of all the hype around Connor McGregor and his recent choice to not attend any promotional events and instead choose to concentrate on his training?

Connor McGregor has made enough money that he prob never has to work another day in his life and for him that’s great but I imagine it’s wrote into his contract that promoting the fight is part of his job and it is his JOB!!

He should remember that the way he has promoted fights in the past is what has given him the pay days that he now receives.

You do what the job requires.

So there you have it keep and eye out for Scott’s next fight and you can also follow him on twitter @scottclist 

Stu’s Track Of The Week 03/05/16

So it’s time for my again for my track of the week and thought it was only fitting for it to be the new track from Blink 182 – Bored to Death. This is the first track they have released with Matt Skiba from Alkaline trio on guitar and vocals after the less amicable departure of Tom DeLonge last year.

I’m liking what I hear from the band on this new track and early looking forward to the album being released on the 1st of July 2016 but for now please enjoy my track of the week.

The Flash SN2 EP17 – ‘ Flash Back ‘

Its time for another Flash review and in this episode we see Barry travel back in time in order to learn from the Earth-1 Dr Wells aka Eobard Thawne how he can increase his speed in order to battle Zoom if they find a way back to Earth-2.

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Barry is still trying to think of a way to increase the speed at which he can run and as he is having a meal with the West family Wally arrives and gives them an update on the project he is working on with his college teacher on how to create more speed in a car. As they are discussing the reading Wally has to undertake he mentions that he cannot exactly go back in time and speak to Enzo Ferrari and ask him all the questions he would like answered. Barry has a look in his eye that tells us he has a plan in mind and excuses himself and heads off to Star labs to share it with the team.

Barry arrives at Star labs and tells Cisco and Caitlin that he plans on going back in time and speaking to Dr Wells (Eobard Thawne) to see if he can gain information on how he planned to make Barry run faster in order to send himself back to his timeline. Cisco and Caitlin think this is a good idea but as they are discussing this Earth-2 Dr Wells arrives back from looking for his daughter and advises Barry that the idea is too risky and they can come up with another way to make him faster. In true Barry style in this series he does not listen and enters the tunnel and travels back in time.

Barry arrives in the past at the exact time that his past self if about to fight Hartley Rathaway just as he is coming to terms with his arrival his past self looks over and spots him causing Barry to run off into a nearby alleyway to regroup. He tries to contact the team but his earpiece malfunctions and he has to take matters into his own hands and speeds off to grab his past self. As he reaches the alleyway he attempts to use a serum to knock his past self out but he does not go quietly and the pair rush around before Barry manages to inject him and knock him out. Barry switches the flash symbols over to avoid being found out that he is from the future and rushes back to knock Hartley unconscious and take him back to Star labs.

When he arrives back at the lab and puts Hartley in his containment chamber the team ask him to remove his ear pieces but he explains he can’t do that as the pain is agonizing to him. Barry has a flash back of Hartley using his ear pieces to escape the chamber by using them as explosives and tells Cisco to check them for low level radio waves and as if by magic he picks it up straight away although this peaks Dr Wells interest in how Barry could have known that. Barry then talks to the old team and drops that he has been thinking about how he can become faster and starts to draw the speed equation on the board, you can tell by the look on Dr Wells face that he is not sure what to make of all of this but agrees to help Barry figure it out.

We go to the police HQ and a patrolman is in Barry’s lab when we see the map of the city move but there are no windows open and the next thing we see if some sort of Harry Potter looking creature spring out of the board. It makes it’s way out to the main lobby of the station and the police on duty start to open fire but obviously this has no effect, the team receive news that the station is under attack and Barry jumps into action but not in time as the creature makes an escape through a window. Barry is busy tidying up the mess and Joe comes into see him to check if he is alright as he seems different before heading off and we see the return of Eddie. The pair have  brief chat and Barry tells Eddie that he is putting together a video for Iris’s birthday in 3 months and asks Eddie to record a message for Iris so that he can play it to her on her birthday.

Barry arrives back at Star labs and Dr Wells asks Barry how he managed to come up with the complex speed formula in such a short amount of time and not mention it to anybody, Barry tries to explain how he came up with the idea but Dr Wells does not seem to buy it. Dr Wells asks him who he really is and Barry’s response is it’s me Barry you know me, Dr Wells does not believe him and springs up from his chair and knocks Barry unconscious. Barry comes to and he is chained to Dr Wells chair he attempts to phase out of the cuffs and Dr Wells advises that he knows he is from the future as he has not taught his Barry how to phase through objects yet. Dr Wells then moves quickly to his right and Barry is not phased by this confirming that he knows he is from the future as his Barry would have been shocked by that move, Barry starts to laugh and then comes clean with Dr Wells about why he has come back in time and that he is facing another speedster.

Dr Wells then fills Barry in on the creature that has been chasing him and that it is in fact a time wraith and he is after Barry as they have had enough of him travelling through time changing events. Dr Wells knows Barry has to return to his time Barry advises him that he is not going anywhere until Dr Wells helps him increase his speed. Cisco and Caitlin go to take Hartley his new ear pieces in order to help stop the pain he is feeling in his ears just as the time wraith appears looking for Barry and forces the pair into the cell with Hartley who then comes up with a plan to use his new ear pieces to cause a sound that will drive the creature off this is successful.

The team are regrouping and in an instant past Barry reappears and shocks Cisco and Caitlin causing Cisco to ask a string of question all of which both Barry’s are able to answer  causing Dr Wells and Future Barry to come clean about what has been going on. Eventually Dr Wells gives Barry a flash drive with the completed formula on it and advises him that it is time for him to go back to his time. Barry rushes back to the tunnel and starts to build up the speed to take him back to the future but the time wraith comes after him and as he catches him up Barry begins to slow down. Eventually after Barry manages to get up enough speed to time jump as past Barry lends a helping hand to counter act the wraith slowing him down he takes the time wraith with him.

Barry arrives back in his time but is floored by the wraith who starts to suck the life from Barry. Hartley arrives on the scene as he uses his gauntlets to shock the wraith but they are not strong enough to destroy the wraith after a quick tweak to the frequency being used he manages to destroy the time wraith and it appears the team may have a new member.

Barry then arrives back home and find Iris sat on the couch looking at a photo album of pictures of her and Eddie, Barry has a heart to heart with Iris and tells her that he found a video clip that he had Eddie record and has only just found it and gives it to her to watch before going to bed and the episode comes to an end

As always for all your Scarlet speedster needs stick with Deadpool_1984 only on skatronixxx.com

Stu’s Track Of The Week 26/04/16

So it’s time for my track of the week and this week I have chosen a track from a documentary called Sound city in which a group of well know musicians put together a soundtrack. The track I have chosen is called From Can to Can’t and features Corey Taylor (Slipknot) Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Scott Reeder (Kyuss) I really like this track due to Taylor’s vocal range and the musicianship that is backing him up which makes it an all round winner in my book.

Hope you all enjoy the track as much as I do.

Arrow SN4 EP16 – ‘ Broken Hearts ‘

It’s time to cover episode 16 of Arrow and this week we see the return on Cupid and we also get to see the preliminary hearing to see if Damien Darhk will have to face a court case against him for all his crimes in Star City.

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So after seeing Felicity walk out on Oliver in the last episode it’s only fair to bring Cupid back into the fold to kick love while it’s down on it’s knees and she has a plan to destroy love once and for all by killing happy couples on there wedding day. She starts of by killing her first couple after asking them how much they love each other and the couple state that they love each other to death probably the wrong choice of words considering the situation they are in and Cupid draws back two arrows and fires them into the couple.

Captain Lance contacts Oliver and advises him that there has been a double murder and the person responsible is someone he knows, Oliver appears at the crime scene and Captain Lance shows Oliver one of Cupids trademark arrows. The team try and figure out what the link between the victims and Cupid might be, Thea advises the team that the pair that were killed are a celebrity couple but they cannot figure out what the reason for killing them may have been.

The team get a tip off that another couple have been kidnapped and the team head off to try and stop Cupid from killing again it appears that she has stolen the wedding limo with the couple inside. Wiggle pulls up beside the limo with Thea on the back and she takes the leap and ends up on top of the limo until Cupid crashes through a garage door knocking Thea off onto the ground. Oliver ignores Felicity’s advise to not go after Cupid and to check if Thea is alright by chasing after her in the warehouse he manages to catch up with Cupid he manages to capture her with a trick arrow tying her up but as Oliver is distracted she manages to cut herself loose and knock Oliver down before escaping out of a window.

The team manage to track down Cupids hide out and it’s no surprise that it is a abandoned wedding dress factory and when the team arrive they find that she is targeting famous couples in a bid to destroy love it appears she really didn’t take  the apparent death of Deadshot very well. The team also find a picture of Oliver and Felicity so it appears that the pair have escaped by breaking up, Oliver comes up with a rather odd suggestion by asking Felicity if she will marry him in a bid to draw Cupid out into the open. Felicity eventually agrees to the crazy idea and Thea sets to work spreading the rumour about there secret wedding onto a message board.

The pair arrive at the wedding venue and get the fake wedding under way the pair are left to say there own vows Felicity’s are short and to the point and Oliver takes the chance to poor his heart out to Felicity. The pair are about to get to the I do part of the ceremony and they are then interrupted by Cupid just as she draws and Arrow at Oliver Felicity steps in front of him and starts to walk towards her and with tears in her eyes has a heart to heart with her about the true meaning of love before Cupid fires an arrow into Oliver. The team jump into action and eventually capture Cupid before Oliver gets up off the floor before revealing to her that he was wearing body armour.

We also see in this episode the beginning of Damien Darhk’s preliminary hearing before the judge to see if Laurel has enough evidence to take him to trial for all of his crimes. The trial does not get off to a good start with Darhk’s lawyer advising the court that his clients name is not even Damien Darhk and it is in fact Kenneth Bender and is a citizen of Markovia and that he was being held prisoner at the scene where William was being held. Things go from bad to worse when Diggle takes the stand and Darhk’s lawyer brings up the time that Diggle help Thea Queen buy and massive supply of Vertigo he tries to justify why he did this but before he can answer the question the lawyer then brings up the fact that he seems to work for Oliver Queen but does not understand how he is paid to do so as Oliver has no money.

Captain Lance has seen enough to make him think that Darhk is going to walk so talks Laurel into putting him on the stand and he will tell the court everything Darhk had him do while he was working for him even if it means the end of his career. Laurel agrees to put him on the stand after some persuasion, Captain Lance takes the stand and tells the court how he helped give Darhk police route schedules and even helped him plant a virus in a FBI server farm all because Darhk threatened to kill Laurel if he didn’t do as he was told. This testimony is enough to convince the judge that the case should proceed to trail and that Darhk will be held in prison until the date of the trial is set, we see the officers take him to his cell and once they have left he produces a gold wedding ring from his mouth and places it on his finger and has a big grin on his face.

At the end of the episode we see Felicity and Oliver are back at HQ alone and the pair begin to talk with Oliver apologising again and telling Felicity he does not want to loose her, Felicity tells Oliver that she can never forgive him for what he has done and places the wedding ring down before telling Oliver she can no longer be with him at night doing what they do and not be with him romantically before leaving.

As always for all your Vigilante needs stick with Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com

The Flash SN2 EP16 – ‘ Trajectory ‘

So it’s time for this weeks review of The Flash and this week we see Barry trying to improve his speed with the help of the team and we meet a new speedster in the form of Trajectory and the team uncover the identity of Zoom.

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So this week centers around Barry’s quest to get faster in case the team manage to find a way back to Earth-2 as well as dealing with another speedster in the form of Trajectory. The first attempt is to get Barry to build up enough speed to clear a canyon on the outskirts of the city, the attempt fails and we see Barry hurtling towards the river but is saved by Cisco and his and of drones holding a net.

Barry also uncovers the fact that Jay was dying before Zoom apparently killed him at the end of the last episode due to his use of a speed enhancing drug called Velocity 7. Caitlin also tells Barry that she was working on Velocity 9 and that she had seen positive results with Jay’s cells regenerating after only one use. This also leads Barry to take the sample and is considering using it to improve his own speed but Dr Wells had spotted that Barry had taken the sample and after a heated discussion Barry smashes it on the floor.

This is where the new speedster Trajectory comes in it appears that Caitlin enlisted the help of an old lab partner from Mercury labs for help as she was having some issues with the bonding element but she only sent her 4 out of the 9 genetic parts of the formula. This however is all her old lab partner needed to make a full copy of Velocity 9 and use it on herself and she uses her new power to rob a nightclub and all the party goers cash in front of Barry and the team due to having crushing debt issues.

During the final show down where Trajectory has collapsed a large portion of the bridge to stop Barry from reaching her we see Barry really tap into his speed force and make the jump and sending her crashing into a power station. Barry tries to talk some sense into her and advise her that she is killing herself, Trajectory is not willing to listen and she starts to run off into the distance but as she does so her speed force starts turning from red to blue something Barry notices before she completely evaporates.

This all eventually links into Cisco having a rather strange vibes throughout the episode every time he is near or touches the case where Jays flash helmet is kept, the vibes consist of Cisco being stood in a dark room with Zoom about to take his mask off. After Barry comes back from the fight with Trajectory he mentions to the team that her speed force was turning blue the same as Zoom. This leads to the team uncovering that Zoom is also dying and this is why he needs to steal other speedsters speed force very much like the symptoms Jay was experiencing.

Cisco then tells this team that this may be a bad time to bring something up but he has been vibing zoom every time he is near or touches the case containing the helmet the team begin to realize that there was more to Jay than they first thought. Caitlin does not want to hear this but the team advise her that it is not the first time a speedster has been in one place at the same time, Barry then walks up to the case and says there is only one way to be sure and smashes the case and passes the helmet to Cisco. Cisco then grabs hold and vibes back to the dark room with Zoom and this time is there long enough to see the face of Jay once it is removed, he comes back around and states that the teams fears are true and that Jay is in fact Zoom.We then see Barry run off and end up back at the canyon he failed jump and let out a scream of anger and the episode comes to a close.

As always for all your Scarlet speedster needs stick with Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com

 

 

Stu’s Track of the week 21/04/16

It’s time for my track of the week and this weeks pick is Rancid – Ruby Soho from the album And out come the Wolves the reason for the title of the album is due to the popularity and catchy songs started off a bidding war with the major record labels. I have also been getting back into my Punk music recently and this track always manages to bring a smile to my face and about chilling out with mates in the sunshine having a few cold beers.

Stu’s Track Of The Week 12/04/16

So for my track of the week this week were going back to 2001 with Alkaline Trios track Stupid Kid from the album ‘From here to infirmary’. This takes me back to when I first started going out to a local rock club (The Psychic Pig) and dancing around in mosh pits like a lunatic. It reached #53 in the UK charts becoming the bands first charting song. So turn up loud and enjoy some pop punk goodness and join me again next week see you in the pit.