02/26/2008:
It's about time! Thanks to some persistant folks here in town, we are about to get our own MetalFest! the first annual Kansas City Power Metal Festival will take place Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway in Kansas City Missouri. Go to the official MySpace page to read all about it and be sure and spread the word. Let's make this as big as the one in Atlanta (which is awesome by the way). The first band to be announced is Kansas City's own Ancient Creation, but I know some pretty big name bands are interested...more details as I can announce them!
10/09/2007:
Just got back from Atlanta...Scot and I went down there to hang out with our good friend Stefan Leibing and the Primal Fear boys while they rocked the ProgPower fest. Great show as usual. The trip was too quick...I would have like to spent another few days with Stef, but it was great getting to catch up with him. Go here to see the pictures. Now back to the recording!
10/01/2007:
I was going through some old files on my pc and found a folder of cover songs I've worked on with other folks. From time to time I get asked to put down vocals, so if I have time (which isn't very often I'm afraid) and I like the song, I do it. Keep in mind these are mostly low bitrate songs as they were sent to me over the net and I never got the cd-quality mixes back, but I thought you might enjoy them anyway. All I did was record a solo vocal track and send it back to the person who was doing the song, so the mixes are not always what I would do, and the vocals did not always get re-aligned correctly, but the spirit is there and I always enjoy meeting new people and making new friends in the music world. Here they are...enjoy.
03/27/2007:
Well, my music pc crashed, and so work on the video has come to a screeching halt. Most of the photos and video to this point were lost, so I will be contacting those of you that sent pics in that I need to get replaced. I've had many folks write in and ask if they could just send in their favorite picture without the sign, and the answer is yes, send whatever you would like. Since I will be working on the video over the next few weeks when I get my workstation back, feel free to keep sending stuff in even though it is past the deadline.
02/19/2007:
Recording has started on the new Johnny Lokke project, and to kick it
off I wanted to do something special for all of you! I wrote a song called
"Wrecking Crew" dedicated to all of you, and I want you to be a part of
it. i want YOU to be in the video! Sound like fun? Go
here and get all the details.
10/06/2006:
Finally had a minute to get the EVOLUTION lyrics
posted! Now you can actually hear what I'm saying and sing, er, scream
along!
10/04/2006:
Been a while, but it's been busy around here. Scot and I have not been
able to sync up our schedules to finish the EP yet, he's been a busy drummer
boy with his other projects. In the meantime, I've been splitting my time
in the studio between helping out Dean with his project (as mentioned
below) and writing new material for the next New Breed cd. Dean has some
really cool material (as expected) so it's been a pleasure to be a part
of it. I have also decided to make my D.O.A. cd available
for downloading free of charge here. I get so many e-mails from folks
wondering where they can get it (which they can't...it's out of print),
so I decided rather than doing a re-release I would just make it easy
on all of us and let you get it here! Grab it while you can! Stay tuned
for more...
07/10/2006:
Haven't checked in for a bit, so I thought I would fill you in. The recording business is back in action. Just dropped a brand new 60 gig drive in the recorder and it's ready to be filled with all kinds of metal mayhem. First up, we (Scot and I) have decided to warm up with an EP in the same style as D.O.A. It will have a few covers that we dig on it, plus one new track from the forthcoming cd. Can't give you any track info yet, that is a surprise, but the working title of the disc is "Ghosts from the Past". I have a very cool picture for the front artwork if the artist decides to let me use it. Hopefully it all works out because it is very cool. That will be appearing for free in all the mailboxes of the loyal Wrecking Crew! Also at the same time as recording the EP, I will be recording/producing a project by a good friend of mine, Dean Taylor. You may recall Deano played on D.O.A. with me, so I'm looking forward to hearing his new stuff. After those two projects, it's right back in the studio and diving full steam into the new cd, which will hopefully see the light of day late this year. Scot and I have so much cool material that totally blows away anything I've ever done, and I can't wait for you to hear it. Oh well, back to work!
05/31/2006:
Things are still hectic as anything around here (which is the way I like
it), but I finally got the interview section up and running. I know there
are many more out there, but I need to go out and track them down and
link to them. These are the ones I had a copy of, so head on over to the
interviews page and enjoy!
05/12/2006:
I have switched mailing list hosts for my monthly newsletter, so you may
get an e-mail telling you that you are signed up since I had to re-import
everyone to the new software. Hopefully this one will work better and
everyone will get it every month!
05/11/2006:
Welcome to the new website. I've been very busy with a million other things,
but needed to make several changes anyway, so I decided to lock myself away for a day and change it all. More changes coming soon, so keep checking in.
05/02/2006:
It's official. A remixed version of "Eyes of the Gods" (off
of my cd "Wrecking Ball") will be included on the cd enclosed
with the July issue of Guitar World magazine, and I will also be featured
in an advertisement in the magazine. This is very cool as the mag goes
out worldwide, and the cd goes out to about 200,000 people. Thanks again
to all who visited me at American
Idol Underground, I appreciate all your support. Special congratulations
go out also to my good friend Stefan Leibing of the group Primal Fear.
Stef e-mailed me this weekend and told me he is now the father of a second
baby boy! Wife and son are doing fine. Send him an e-mail through his
site (www.stefanleibing.de)
wishing him well and let him know Johnny sent ya. By the way, Stefan will
also be the featured in my May newsletter coming out in the "% Questions
With..." column. If you haven't signed up yet, do
it here.
03/29/2006:
I got word last week that "Eyes of the Gods" (off of my cd
"Wrecking Ball") was the most downloaded heavy metal song on American
Idol Underground in February. Thanks to all of you that help support
me not just on that site, but everywhere you can. I've always relied on
word of mouth to spread the news, and the WRECKING CREW has the best,
most loyal fans since the KISS Army! Now that is saying something! Anyway,
because of the American Idol fanfare, something is in the works with Guitar
world magazine. I can't give you all the details yet, but stay tuned and
I'll let you know!
03/13/2006:
Decided to start my own blog...I think I'm one
of the last few that hadn't! I don't have that many deep thoughts, so
it's going to be something else near and dear to my heart...music reviews
and assorted information. I know, that's quite a stretch! I'm also in
the process of setting up a My
Space page for a bit more exposure, so stop by if you are out there
and befriend poor old friendless Johnny. UP THE IRONS!!!
02/24/2006:
Heard from several folks today that the "Early Warning" download
links were not working, so I got them up and running again. Enjoy!
02/17/2006:
Ahhh, it's good to be out of internet hell. Due to tons of traffic, which
is a good thing, the site was having major problems, which is a bad
thing. I spent the last two weeks moving everything to a new server,
and I believe as of this morning everything should be up and running
as it is supposed to, so maybe I can get back to what I like to do,
which is make (very loud) music. Stand by to stand by.
If you have not done so, sign-up for my new mailing list by the end of February to get in on a contest that will get you an autographed copy of "Evolution", an autographed handwritten lyric sheet, and a Girlschool cd. Why a cd by the band Girlschool? You have to read the newsletter to find out...
02/08/2006:
Things are going well for the Evolution release. The reviews are starting
to come in and sales are way up, so far so good, thank you all! I will
be adding the reviews to the Evolution
site shortly.
Also be sure and sign-up for my new mailing list to get all the latest information on what's happening with Johnny Lokke, The New Breed, and Scot Goacher. Also find out how to get free mp3's, cd's, member-only discounts and other great stuff. I will also be adding a new feature called "5 Quick Questions With..." in which I will ask 5 questions to my friends, heroes and influences in the music biz. It's shaping up pretty well, so stand by for that as well! First out of the chute is my friend Paul Di'Anno, and he is as outspoken as ever!
12/11/2005:
Just found out that in my haste to bring you the latest and greatest news
and information on the EVOLUTION cd, some links were not working. Everything
should be in ship-shape now, so head
on over to the EVOLUTION section and check it out!
12/06/2005:
The new section for "The New Breed - Evolution"
is now up and running. It has soundclips, news, interviews, etc. Check
it out here!
11/18/2005:
The New Breed cd is now being pressed, and I can't wait to get it back
and into your hands! it will be released December 12 worldwide and the first
single, "Back to Black" will be released November 28.
It will be available on this site, along with clips from all the songs,
so keep your eyes out! The official tracklisting is: On the Edge, Rest,
Dr. Butcher, Boilermaker, Don't Need It, Evolution, Barebones, Blown
Away, Generation Pain and Back to Black. Happy Thanksgiving!
10/10/2005:
The New Breed cd has been pushed back a few weeks due to some unforseen
circumstances. Bear with me and I will have it to you shortly. Scot
and I have met and begun discussing our schedules and should have the
Wrecking Ball rolling again shortly on our next release. We are both
really fired up to finish this project started last year, so expect
a lot of pent up aggression to come out of that!
09/16/2005:
I am sold out of "Early Warning" cd's (thanks to all of you
who made that happen!), so instead of ordering more, I have decided to
give it away on the site. You can download the mp3's
here. Enjoy!
As promised, the artwork for the upcoming New Breed cd is finished, and can be found here. It is a great piece done by the talented artist Harry O'Conner.
09/13/2005:
Just finished my last vocal for the New Breed cd titled "Evolution"!
Man does that feel good. All that's left are a couple of guitar solos
and then this baby is ready for mixing, mastering and pressing! The artwork
is fabulous, and tomorrow I will post a pic of the cover so you can check
it out and give you more details. I truly believe that this is the strongest
cd I have ever done and can't wait for everyone to hear it. Stay tuned!
I would also like to thank everyone that has gone to my CDBaby.com site and purchased the last New Breed cd. 100% of the price is going to the Red Cross, so tell everyone to pick up a copy and get something good while giving something good to others. Another surprise announcement concerning my first cd "Early Warning" is coming this weekend, so check back for that (especially if you don't have it yet...hint hint...).
7/27/2005:
Sorry for the delay in updates, but I have been buried in the studio for
awhile now working on several projects. I am currently working on two
cd's and doing some vocals for other people as well, so things around
here are busy as usual. First off, there will be a New Breed cd with
the working title of
"Evolution" (could also be "On the Edge"...depends
on the artwork). No big life-saving causes this time, but I had some songs
that didn't fit in with the new Johnny Lokke cd and Scot was going on
vacation, so in the meantime I decided to work on another NB project.
It is really sounding good and I'm anxious for you to hear it. That should
be out around September 1, and then Scot and I will pick back up where
we left off and finish the new Johnny Lokke cd which should see the light
of day sometime around November. No cd title yet, but some song titles
are Beneath the Ruins, Power, Scarred for Life, Virus, See You Again,
Starchasers, Welcome to Black Sunday, Letters from Hell, The Next Revolution,
Fly for Me, and about 15 more! The more we record, the more we write,
so we will definitely have plenty of bonus material for freebies! I also
did a couple of demo songs with the band Leatherwolf (yeah, the triple
axe attack from the 80's!). You can hear those
here. They've got some quality material...I hope they get it out soon.
Last but not least I'm laying down vocals for about 3 other projects as
I can squeeze it in, so stay tuned for that also. I will try and get a
sound sample page up and rolling with bits and peices from all this new
stuff as I get time, and in the meantime, keep it LOUD!
04/26/2005:
What's going on, metalheads? Thought I would give you a quick update.
The Complete Drums cd is finished
and now it's back to work on the next Johnny Lokke release. I've written
several new songs the last few days (although I've had a stupid cold
for weeks now that is keeping me from getting any decent vocals done),
so we are up to probably 20 new songs to choose from, and still going!
I'll probably write 2 or 3 more and then we'll decide what is going
to be on the cd. Not sure yet what we'll do with the others, but I'm
thinking there will just be a bonus disc of freebies that I'll throw
in with the new cd, and probably a song or two here on the site as well.
I have not heard any more from the Frost camp, so I have no idea what is going on there. I'm going to assume that Jack has decided to do his own thing without me, and if I hear otherwise you'll be the first to know. It sounded like fun, but it would have also pushed back my own stuff a few weeks, so it's ok either way.
That's about it for now, but stay tuned as the Wrecking Ball continues to roll!
04/13/2005:
I'm writing to let you know that Mike Campese has done it again. He's
managed to write another brilliant album called
"The New" which was released this past Saturday April 9th, and
just to list a few things that you'll find on the cd anything from crazy
shredding to amazing catchy melodies that will be stuck in your head for
days. This album was made to please the masses and by far is one of his
best albums to date. This ,if you already don't know it, is Mike's 4th
cd. The others as listed are "Vibe", "Full Circle" and "Total
Freedom" plus he's also produced an instructional video "Virtuoso
Rock Fusion Concepts" so if you haven't already snagged those I suggest
you do. All these albums and video's can now be purchased directly off
of www.mikecampese.com under
the goods page and also feel free to take a look around the site. He's
added new pics as well as sound clips off of his latest album and please
stop by the guest book and let Mike know what you think. For more information
please contact: info@mikecampese.com or
visit www.mikecampese.com.
Also, Scot and I have put together something really cool that is going to help all you do-it-yourself musicians out there that struggle trying to find drum loops and midi samples. Not anymore! We have put together a cd of complete drum tracks (which just happens to go by the name of Complete Drums) that you can write to. No more trying to piece together loops that sound different or having to make due with crappy sounding drum tracks! These are pro-level recordings that will have you sounding better than you ever have before. If you want to take it to the next level, this is the way to go. Get all the details at www.johnnylokke.com/completedrums/.
By the way, after you write your tracks, if you find that they still need that certain something, e-mail Scot or visit him at www.skinbasher.com and talk to him about customizing your tracks!
03/16/2005:
Busy, busy, busy! Scot and I have pushed the new cd back a bit as we have
started a new venture. For you musicians out there who want a real drummer
backing you instead of drum loops, we have finished up a drum SONG cd.
Forget loops, this is a cd of whole songs in an easy to use standard
format of intro, verse, chorus, verse, etc. Volume 1 will consist of
somewhere between 15 and 17 songs (in WAV format) in a hard rock/heavy
metal style. You can then contact Scot about personalizing a track to
meet your song's needs. Watch for more info coming very soon along with
a free sample!
On a musical note, I may be working with Jack Frost (Savatage, Seven Witches) on his upcoming cd release. He has contacted me and said he'll be finishing up the music in the next few weeks, and then we'll get together and see if we can make something happen. I hope so as Savatage has always been one of my all time favorites, and Jack's solo efforts with Seven Witches and Frost are always killer. Stay tuned and I'll let you know what happens.
02/15/2005:
Got a very nice review from my friends at MaximumMetal.com for "Bound
by the Thread". These guys have always been so supportive of not
only me, but so many of the unknown bands out there. If you want to know
about the hottest bands before anyone else, this is THE place to go! Here
is the review:
The New Breed - Bound by the Thread (maximummetal.com)
I was very fortunate to stumble on the sounds of Johnny Lokke in 2003. "Wrecking
Ball" was one of my favorite albums of that year and stayed in my
rotation for what seemed like an eternity. His talent and ability to play
straight forward heavy metal from the heart is truly something special.
Beyond the music lies a real American, a classy guy who deserves a lot
of respect and admiration in this industry. I got the chance to talk with
Johnny several times through email and got to know a little bit more about
him over the last couple of years. I would be hard pressed to name a more
sincere, honest individual in this industry than Johnny Lokke.
In early 2004 Johnny Lokke's drummer had an unfortunate accident and broke his hip. Scot is a full time drummer and with his hip injury his playing had to be put on the shelf until he made a full recovery. Scot is a music teacher with a family, and now with his accident he has gone through surgery and a stack of medical bills thus far. No real time frame has been set for Scott to make a recovery. For now he just hopes for the best and prays that he will make a full recovery. When Johnny learned of Scot's injury and the financial and medical complications he was running into, he decided to do a "benefit" album for his drummer. He decided to do a side project, something a little different from his Johnny Locke albums. Johnny invited some friends and artists to jump on board for the cause and was amazed by the turnout. He decided on the name The New Breed after hearing the idea from a German journalist, and picked the album title "Bound By The Thread" from the simple idea of people bound by a common goal and doing things out of their heart instead of their pockets. The end result is really an enjoyable album from start to finish, one that will surely please Johnny Lokke fans while at the same time bringing to light a close-knit metal community that rallies together for a fallen brother.
Johnny Lokke has a whole host of excellent musicians helping out with this album. Former Primal Fear guitarist Stefan Leibing steps in to do a melodic guitar solo on "Illusions Of Power, Chris Watson from the NWOBHM band Black Rose stops by to lay down a solo on "This One", and Guitar World writer Mike Campese lays down a solo on "Feed The Machine". Even former Judas Priest vocalist Al Atkins makes a rare appearance, throwing in some guest vocals on "Drown". The New Breed is made up of Johnny Lokke on guitars and vocals, Lon Weaver on guitars, Jeff Gragg on bass, and Dad Dreher on drums. The entire album is really interesting to me simply because it is in the same vein as the Johnny Lokke albums, but somehow stays just outside of those lines. Here is the play by play...
Opener "Illusions Of Power" may be a little heavier than the Lokke material, with a thick groove to shake a mountain and plenty of melody and vocal harmony. Leibing's guitar solo here is simply breathtaking. I can't wait for Stefan to hit the studio with the reformed Thunderhead group. Lokke hits his signature highs on "This One", an inspirational song about overcoming adversity. "Come On" is another fast cut in the style of the opener with a heavier approach on the guitars. "Can't Save The World" follows with a mid-pace stomper that tends to lean towards blue collar hard rock. "Freedom" is the next installment, a blazing scorcher with a catchy hook throughout. Lokke uses another hard rock style chorus here with some high falsetto thrown in. "Freedom" sounds a bit like "Youthanasia" era Megadeth to my ears. "Here I Come" is simply crushing in every sense of the word. The cut borrows from Tim Owens era Judas Priest, with some modern tendencies and an unbelievable chorus. This guy is just amazing folks. Back to business on "Drown" with a simplistic approach at early heavy metal in the vein of Saxon and Priest. "Long Way Down" follows in melodic fashion. I love the slow gallop feel here, with an addictive razzle-dazzle guitar hook. The chorus is back to the hard rock school with a rip-roaring mid-section. Closer "Feed The Machine" is the ballad of the album, a well penned track about just taking it easy and enjoying each day. This one is a great sunset song, a great track for those evening drives back home.
"Bound By The Thread" is a solid effort and one that just leaves me with my mouth open. I enjoy everything Johnny Lokke does and this is just more of the same. The guy can do no wrong to my ears. It is really hard for someone to drift away from their primary band to record something that is still very much in the realm of their regular routine. Most of the time a "side project" will explore other musical genres and avenues. Thankfully Lokke stays with his passion and records some extraordinary traditional metal that mixes in some blues, new wave, and hard rock into a fine metal brew. This is really a great cause and a great achievement. 100% of the profits from "Bound By The Thread" go into a fund to help Scot and his family overcome his injury and get back behind the kit.
Scot, God bless you and we wish you a speedy recovery!
--EC 02.10.05
01/28/2005:
An update on the troops cd:
After several discussions with Metal Blade's PR person (who does a great
job, I might add), her bosses have never gotten back to me, and since
it's been about 3 weeks, I am taking that as a "no" at this
point. I'm not giving up, but I'm not exactly holding my breath waiting
on them, either. A quick "we're extremely busy right now, we'll talk
soon" would have been a little more professional, but I guess they
have a lot of things on their minds that are more important to them than
the troops in Iraq. On the bright side of things, Century Media announced
that they are doing the same thing as I wanted to and are giving away
20,000 cd's to men and women departing for Iraq! Very awesome...if only
more labels cared like CM does, there would be music blasting all over
that country! Another company, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles has stepped
up and offered to give away all their leftover Knuckletrack cd samplers
to the troops as well (as soon as I can line it up), and I thank Tim Henderson
and everyone else at BWBK for their generosity.
On the Johnny Lokke front, pretty much all the new songs for the next
cd have been written, (although it seems like 3 or 4 more always pop up
when the recording light goes on). Scot feels like he is getting better
every day, and has begun playing live again, so as soon as he feels like
he is ready we will begin laying it down. Most of the new songs have a
pretty thunderous double-kick going on, so he's going to be pushed to
the limit right from the get go. Hope to have more good news soon...
01/19/2005:
Welcome to 2005...hope things are going well. I'm starting the year off
with a bang and am trying to put out a cd to send to the troops who
are over in Iraq putting their lives on the line for us everyday. I
wanted to do something to let them know we think about them constantly
and at the same time give them something that will allow them to escape
the madness for an hour or so. Currently, many bands have stepped up
to the plate and responded positively. I've heard from great musicians
like Paul Di'Anno, Tygers of Pan Tang, Cage, Chris Caffery, Agent Steel,
Blaze Bayley and Neil Turbin that are excited about the project and
are hoping to be a part of it. For the icing on the cake I just got
off the phone with Jon Oliva of Savatage who has signed on also! I've
been a huge Savatage fan forever, and also have Jon's new solo release
"Taj Mahal" that is absolutely brilliant, so this has made my
day. I am waiting to hear from a major record label that is considering
sponsroing the project, so hopefully they will come through and we'll
have a late Christmas present to give away shortly! I'll keep you posted.
Rock on!
12/07/2004:
It's been a while since the last post so a quick update...Scot continues
to progress, and is back behind the kit where he belongs. He is getting
stronger all the time, and he says having to work that hard at getting
back into playing is actually helping his skills. I look for him to
really unleash on this next recording and get rid of some pent up agression!
Speaking of the next cd, we will probably get underway sometime in February,
with a release coming in May. We actually have about 7 or 8 killer songs
demo'd already, so things should move pretty quick. There is also a
plan to record a cd strictly for those of you who purchased the Bound
by the Thread cd as a way to show our gratitude for your willingness
to help out in times of need. Maybe a D.O.A. part two or something...
I am getting ready to head out to Texas for a few weeks, so I will give
everyone my wishes now for a safe and happy holiday. Do what you can
to make someone's life better, and watch your's improve as well. Peace.
10/08/2004:
Just a quick note to let you know that thanks to you all, we have helped
Scot pay for two months worth of doctor bills and we're underway to
cover a third shortly! The CD is also now selling at Hell
Bent For Records for my friends overseas, and CDBaby.com also.
Thanks again to everyone for helping out, and there will be something
special for all of you before the next release.
09/01/2004:
Thanks to all of you who have ordered up a New Breed cd and helped the
cause, we really appreciate it! Make sure you spread the word... The
cd's should be back from the press any day and will be shipped the same
day they arrive. Keep rocking!
08/23/2004:
It's been a long time since I've made any updates, but that has been done
by design. Most of you know that I've been working on a cd to benefit
Scot after his unfortunate accident. I've been keeping it very quiet
so that Scot wouldn't find out and I could surprise him with the finished
product, but that didn't pan out and the cat is now out of the bag!
That's ok, because the cd is finished and should be back from being
pressed very shortly. It's called "The New Breed", the title
is "Bound By The Thread" and 100% of the profits go to Scot
and his family. You can get all the details here.
Once again I have some great guests, such as Stefan Leibing of Primal
Fear, Allan Atkins, founder and original vocalist of Judas Priest, Mike
Campese of the Mike Campese Band and instructor for Guitar World and
Chris Watson of the 80's NWOBHM band Black Rose. The do a great job
of adding some wonderful touches to this cd. Thanks to all of you who
have already ordered up and helped out Scot and his family. It means
a lot to me and I know he is truly grateful as well. You can also view
all the great companies that helped out with this project on the same
page. For those of you who are musicians, please look into these companies
for your production needs, as they truly want to help you succeed and
are great to work with! Now get over to the New
Breed page and order up!
Talk to you soon!
05/20/2004:
Great news for my European friends...we have another new distribution
partner for you. We are now being carried on the great site called "Hell
Bent For Records". This should make it easier for you to get
Johnny Lokke cd's and not spend a fortune on shipping and will also
enable you to get your cd's faster! Thanks to Matthias for making this
happen! Check them out for some really good metal, and be sure and tell
them Johnny sent ya!
05/14/2004:
It's been a while since the last update, but Scot and I have been busy
trying to lay down demo tracks for the new cd. The good news is that
we have 8 or 9 demos done and things are sounding really good. The bad
news is that Scot broke his hip two days ago and will be out of action
for 2 to 3 months. Please give him a shout at scot@skinbasher.com and
wish him a speedy recovery. So where do we go from here? To early to
know yet, except the cd will be delayed for a while. I'll keep writing
and as soon as I know more, you will too. Up the hammers!
04/01/2004:
A big thank you to Powercat Illustrated for selecting Wrecking Ball to
be used as background tracks in their sports videos. I appreciate their
support and am proud to be associated with their great videos!
