Big Jay Oakerson has made a name for himself in the past year or so. In addition to appearing on the IFC show Z-Rock and having an album come out on Comedy Central (last year’s An American Storyteller), Jay spent his Spring and Summer on the road serving as the MC for the Jagermeister Music Tour and the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Fest. Now he’s returning to where he’s most comfortable: comedy clubs. While you might have seen him in between metal bands for the past few months, he’ll be able to stretch out and do a full set at Caroline’s, one of the most renowned comedy clubs in the country. He’ll be hosting “Big Jay Oakerson’s Dirty Minds” tour featuring Kurt Metzger and Mike Vecchione, and Metal Insider has got your tickets to see the tour when it hits Caroline’s in New York City next week! He’ll be doing four shows starting next Thursday.Here are the dates and times.
Thursday, 9/9 @ 10:00 PM
Friday 9/10, @ Midnight
Saturday 9/11 @ Midnight
Sunday 9/12 10:00 PM
Metal Insider has two pairs of tickets for each show. To get tickets, simply leave a comment in the section below stating which show you’d like to go to. We’ll be giving them out on a first come, first serve basis, and in the event of multiple entries for each show, winners will be chosen at random. In addition, you can also enter at our sister site The Laugh Button.
Iron Maiden’s 15th album, The Final Frontier, is not only being hailed by fans as one of their best albums in years, but was also their most successful chart debut ever. Metal Insider wants to give you a chance to win a copy of the album on vinyl. If you’re a reader of a certain age (let’s say over 30), your earliest memories of Iron Maiden are probably looking at Derek Riggs’ amazing artwork for the band’s earlier albums on vinyl. The vinyl version of the new album is a double picture disc that will fit in alongside your earlier collection of Maiden vinyl, or be an amazing starting point for your new vinyl collection.
To be entered, simply let us know what your favorite Maiden album cover is in the comments section below. One winner will be chosen at random on Friday, September 10, but if you choose Dance of Death or Virtual XI, you’ll automatically be disqualified! Contest is open to United States residents only. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
When you go to the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival this Summer, you’re going to laugh. Not at the bands (ok, maybe a little), but at Big Jay Oakerson. The comedian, who appears on the IFC show Z-Rock and has an album on Comedy Central Records, American Storyteller, just wrapped up a stint warming up the crowds on the Jagermeister Music Tour. With Mayhem starting tomorrow, he’ll be on the road for the entire tour bring his brand of humor to unsuspecting showgoers. We talked about how he wound up the go-to comedian for metal festivals,what kind of music he likes, and his thoughts on Brian Posehn. And after the interview, scroll down to see how to enter to win a big box of comedy CDs and DVDs from Comedy Central.
How did you come about being the de facto comedian on metal tours this Spring and Summer?
Essentially, my stuff is pretty raw. I don’t know if I would dub myself solely as a dirty comic, but it’s definitely very honest and pretty harsh. I found that when I would go to the Mayhem fest for the past two years and any kind of rock concerts or metal shows, it seemed to be my highest face recognition. Like, ‘I loved you on Z-Rock or on Comedy Central.’ I just kind of figured that it’s kind of my crowd, and to a degree my demographic. And so, when Z-Rock was done filming Season 2, I went to the Agency Group who handles the band ZO2. I talked to them about booking and maybe how I could get some gigs through them, and they suggested [Shadows Fall manager] The Rev. So I met with him, and he suggested the Jager Tour give us a shot. I wholeheartedly accepted on the pure excitement of the idea. As we got closer, I went through severe anxiety. I’m trying to think myself as like being at a metal show and then all of a sudden a comedian wanders out, how I would react to that. But I went on the Jager tour, and from day one it worked. It clicked, somehow. It was great. I had no complaints at all. It worked out really well.
Was it just leading up to the start that you were intimidated?
It was never intimidation because one of the coolest things that happens in comedy as you do it, is you get to a point where you’re not afraid to bomb with the crowd. I can just talk to the crowd and shit on people and do whatever. It was that I didn’t want to fail at the job. I didn’t want them to go like four shows in and be like “Man, this really is not working.” Like I remember the story of Crazy Town being on Ozzfest, and how they were just bombing every night, but they had already signed the contract so they had to keep them on the tour. But they were just notably doing miserably on the shows. So I didn’t want to be like that. I didn’t want to be like the classic “the” story of like “oh this is why comedy doesn’t work in this atmosphere.” Because then I’d be setting the precedent. So it was more of being concern that I would fail at the job, but it went great. Read more »
As if being one of the best tours of the year isn’t enough, the Blackdiamondskye tour (which features Alice In Chains, Deftones and Mastodon, of course) is giving you a chance to win a bunch of stuff. Visitors to this site can enter to win a pair of blackdiamondskye Vans hightop shoes. They’re super limited edition, with only 150 pairs made. In fact, they’re so limited edition that there aren’t even any pictures of them and I’m forced to rely on a stock picture of a pair of actual vans. Wait, you didn’t think they were giving those away, did you?
The winner will also win a pair of tickets to one of the shows, as well as a poster signed by all three of the bands. To enter, contestants will need to identify the three songs featured in the blackdiamondskye tour trailer. Even a casual fan should be able to do that. The month-long tour starts on September 15
The hour is upon us when Parkway Drive will release their third full-length album Deep Blue (it’s in stores tomorrow, y’all!) and we here at Metal Insider have been waiting for this day ever since we saw the video for their single “Sleepwalker.” What’s so special about this video you may ask? Well for one, there’s a building that comes alive and starts eating people. Secondly, I don’t think we should have to have a second reason because there’s a building that comes alive and starts eating people. The only way it could be any better as if it was shooting ninja stars and was on fire.
To pay tribute to this most awesome of videos, we’re giving you a chance to win a copy of Deep Blue as well as a Parkway Drive T-shirt. All you have to do is write a caption for what the building in “Sleepwalker” is saying. Sorry to our readers outside of North America but the contest is only open to US/Canada residents and ends this Friday (7/2). Best of luck, and check out Parkway Drive on the Warped Tour this summer!
So have you heard the news? Metal Insider is on Twitter! Actually, you probably have heard by now, since as of like two seconds ago, we had 2,950 followers. But that’s not enough – we want 3,000! And we’re not above bribing you to get there. The 3,000th person to follow us on Twitter will win a prize pack courtesy of the fine folks at Earache and Century Media. The prize includes a sweet White Wizzard denim jacket from Earache, as well as releases from Century Media including albums from Nevermore, Lacuna Coil and their 20th Anniversary compilation . So if you’re not following us, do it now, and if you already are, tell a friend!
Thy Will Be Done have been on the road pretty much constantly for the last few years. Currently out with Fear Factory and All That Remains, we caught up with frontman J. Costa in Sayreville, NJ to talk about touring, the band’s tribute to Dio, Peter Steele and Paul Gray, and their dream to tour with Justin Bieber.
We also came up with a contest to win a TWBD prize pack, consisting of a CD, T-Shirt, and something signed by the band. To enter, all you have to do is guess what’s in J’s beard! We’ll make things easier for you by spotting the two lighters and a Sharpie. Now all you have to do is guess how many matches he’s got in his beard in the comments section below. This is Price Is Right-style, so whoever gets closest to the actual number without going over will win the prize pack! The winner will be chosen on Friday, June 18. Multiple entries will be disqualified. More beard pics after the jump.
How’s the tour been going and why the lineup change?
Originally it was the “Fear Campaign” tour with Fear Factory, obviously headlining and supporting Mechanize. Prong was a co-headliner. I’m not sure, but I believe (Prong frontman Tommy Victor) Tommy’s playing with Danzig for some of those shows. They dropped off and then All That Remains was going out and they figured they’d do the tour.
Have you noticed any change in the type of people that come out?
You see a little bit of a difference in the demographic that’s showing up now. I think some younger people are coming out now. I think that’s changed a little bit. But still some of the people that are coming out are still diehard Fear Factory fans and it’s great to see that and it’s exposing even that crowd to, say, All That Remains and vice versa and the younger crowds to the forefathers, Fear Factory.
Talk to me a little bit about being on Stillborn. What’s it like having Jamie Jasta as a label boss?
It’s great. The dude’s super busy and he’s always doing something, which I think is pretty influential. It inspires me and the rest of us just to someone that’s got that “go get ‘em” attitude. It’s refreshing to see that.
How often does he talk to you?
Every now and then. We talk whether it’s through a text message or through a quick email or like even sometimes through Twitter or just here and there, you know. Sometimes it’s more of on a bro level.
So that Justin Bieber thing has picked up a little bit of steam (laughing). Have you gotten any emails from Bieber fans?
No, but I mean when they started posting on Bieber-affiliated sites it was pretty cool. You know, pretty awesome. It’s a good time. I’ve got people coming up to me at shows and asking me about it and talking to me about it. It’s pretty awesome.
Do you have a message for him?
No (laughing). I think Bieb needs to take us out. Hands down, that’s what he needs to do. And he doesn’t know it yet.
So how long have you been sending “Subversion of the Sleep” out to Dio, Paul Gray and Peter Steele?
This whole tour actually. Before this tour we were doing some one offs right before we started this tour. We were sending that song out in particular to Peter Steele just cause he was so influential to all us and we’re just huge Type O fans. It was our way to remember and celebrate. At the very beginning of this tour was when we heard of Dio’s passing so it was definite within us. We did a thing that we started even before Dio unfortunately was ill. We do Dio Sundays. When we’re driving, every Sunday is Dio Sunday so we’d listen to Dio. So when he passed, of course we integrated that as well so it was Peter and Ronnie James Dio. Then when we heard of Paul’s passing we were in Illinois. So we were sending it out to the three of them. It was the trifecta. It was three influential musicians that we want to send it out to.
So what’s it like being in Rhode Island as kind of part of the New England metal scene?
Yeah, we’re like the bearded stepchild of New England. We’re Rhode Island. No one really cares about Rhode Island.
What other bands have made it out of Rhode Island?
Kilgore, I don’t know if anyone remembers them. Um, the Beaver Brown Band. Howl. They’re a new band that’s out of Rhode Island. Great band. Daughters, another great band. I don’t know if anyone remembers Lightning Bolt. Phenomenal band, underrated. People should check them out. Vital Remains. There’s so many. If I forget any, I apologize.
OK, so in reference to the contest, what is the craziest, most strange thing you’ve ever gotten stuck in your beard?
Wow. Aside from food? Well there will be times where we’ll be driving and I’ll just start randomly sticking stuff in the beard. We have this little miniature bull in the van and sometimes I rest him in the beard and he just kinda hangs out for the ride.
Have you ever forgotten about him and just walked off with a bull in your beard?
No, I’ve never really forgotten about him. But he sits there the whole ride. You know, just random objects. You name it, I’ll put it in there and it stays. Read more »
Many a metalhead probably looked at the seven different versions of Lamb of God‘s box set, Hourglass and asked “why?” As in, “why are there so many different versions of the box set to choose from,” and “why is there one that costs $999?” But there’s no question that it’s the definitive greatest hits package from one of the biggest metal success stories in the last decade, and anything a ravenous fan could want. We caught up with Epic rock/metal product manager Jason Lekberg to talk about the ambitious set and its different price points, what goes into planning a box set and the best way to mass produce a cow skull.
Metal Insider is giving away a copy of Hourglass (sorry, just the three-disc version)! See below on how to enter to win.
So tell me about how Hourglass came about.
Towards the end of last summer, Lamb of God’s manager, Larry Mazer, came around the offices to catch up and talk about where we were going. Lamb of God is one of those bands that generally does about 18 months of touring on each record. We were talking about timing for the next album and realized it was going to be quite a while before they would be going back in the studio. So with the 15th anniversary of the band coming up, we decided to do a really cool, limited piece just for the fans in the meantime.
How many different versions did you initially envision?
The original idea was that we were going to make something that would be part one of a two part set so we would put out part one now to chronicle the band’s existence to this point and maybe ten years from now do a part two. But as this idea kept growing and we kept feeding off each other and going back and forth, it got to the point where that kind of got lost in the creative process and we just ended up developing something that we felt was really cool. I’m sure we could make a second coffin if we wanted to, but I gotta tell you, I don’t know if I want to do another one of these right now (laughing).
Where did you come up with the $999 price point?
That was really a result of what we needed to charge. We felt like there may potentially be the super fan out there and some people that would be interested in this type of a really deluxe set so we felt like there was a tolerance for that for a higher price point. We didn’t really know what it was going to be. It just came about as we began putting all the parts together and then figuring out what the cost was and what we had to put in. And then we backed down to the lowest price we could get it to and still put it out and have jobs. Read more »
We recently caught up with Kingdom of Sorrow/Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta to chat about the release of the band’s sophomore album, Behind the Blackest Tears, which comes out next Tuesday (8). One lucky commenter will win a Relapse prize pack containing the deluxe edition of the new album, as well as a T-shirt and a copy of the band’s self-titled debut. Simply leave a comment below or on Metal Insider’s Facebook page stating what your favorite Jamey Jasta-related song is and one winner will be chosen. Contest ends on Thursday, June 10 at 11:59pm. One entry per person. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
Kingdom of Sorrow will be headed out for Ozzfest in a couple of months, are you guys ready?
Definitely not, it’s been a while since we’ve jammed and we haven’t had a video shoot yet. Crowbar is also going over to Europe to tour, Hatebreed is going over to Europe to tour, so hopefully we can jam some time in between there.
Does that make you nervous at all about going on tour?
Not really, we have a day in between Mayhem Fest and Ozzfest, and we will find time to practice before then so we should be alright. By then everything will be tight and sound good. Any reservations will definitely subside. Read more »
This weekend will be NARM’s (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) annual convention in Chicago. Why should you care? Well, for the first time, they’re having a “Metal Meet-up” on Sunday, May 16. This will be an interesting roundtable discussion, moderated by Metal Blade’s Brian Slagel, about the past, present and future of metal. Another reason you should be excited is that Metal Insider is giving away a pass to the convention!
One lucky winner will win a “Metal Breakout Package” pass, valued at $99. The package will include not just admission to the “Metal Meet-up” on the 16th, but also the “Music Business Crash Course,” two days of panels leading up to the Meet-up. You’ll also get into a cocktail party after the meetup. For a little more info on what to expect, check out our Q&A with NARM’s Bill Wilson.
If you’re in the Chicago region, or will be this weekend, and are interested about the business side of the music industry, you can enter to win by simply leaving a comment in the comments section below stating why you want to attend the Meet-Up. We’ll choose a winner early Thursday. Description and panelists after the jump. Read more »
Posted by Bram Teitelman on Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Contests