It was a full house at Griffith Uni, for a night of brutal blast beat mayhem from Derek Roddy, the US’s first-call extreme metal drummer. Roddy has played with countless successful metal acts such as Hate Eternal, Nile and Serpent’s Rise.
In an unusual move for a clinic, there was a support act – Resin Dogs’ and Wolfmother’s Dave Atkins. Dave played a string of tunes to slick backing tracks ranging from hip hop mixes through to straight up rock. Atkins’ playing was solid and entertaining with a fluid style and powerful stroke. At the end of his set, Dave engaged in a quick Q&A, which left the crowd in stitches, with Dave’s very unique and humorous approach to his life on the drums.
Then, it was Derek Roddy’s turn. Wasting no time, he launched into some epic metal tracks, which had the crowd in awe of his precision power and speed. It was then Q&A time again, which the crowd participated in enthusiastically. Roddy again blew the roof off the joint with a few more tunes from his metallic career, displaying endurance not normally found in even the most athletic of today’s metal drummers.
As a special ‘Australia only’ last hurrah, Dave and Derek jammed until the end, trading fours on grooves ranging from bossa nova to double kick duelling.
Ever the metal-brethren’s old mate, Derek hung with the crowd afterward, signing skins, taking photos and fielding more questions from fans.
We can’t wait to see Derek on these shores again, perhaps in the context of one of his amazing bands? Until then, thanks Derek!
20-year-old Melbourne guitar shredder, Taylor Sterling, has attempted the world record for being the world’s fastest guitar player. So it’s all legit, the event was filmed for viewing by Guinness World Record judges, and the result will be announced in the not-too-distant future (2012). Hong Kong-based shredder ‘Dr Hot Licks’ aka John Taylor, who can play ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’, by Russian composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, at a blistering 620 beats per minute (BPM), currently holds the record. That’s approximately 40 cleanly-picked notes per second! If the people at Guinness decide that Taylor’s execution and timing are good enough, his new world record will be – hold on to your hats – a sizzling 999 BPM! Let’s hope it’s a positive result for Taylor, who chose us at Allans Billy Hyde, we’re proud to say, as his place to hold the event.
It’s amazing how time flies...20 years have passed since rock superstarsKISS released what critics say is their best album from the non-makeup era of the band and arguably the best album of their career! The album in question is 1992’s Revenge and we were lucky enough to have ex-KISS lead guitarist Bruce Kulick take the time to come to Australia and share his memories and insights into the creation of this monstrous album.
Melbourne was the first of two clinics onthis tour and with over 100 fans in attendance the mood was set for an exciting trip back in time. Bruce was greeted by a warm applause and proceeded togive some background on the clinic format before diving into the first track. Revenge was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin who was the mastermind behind classic albums such as KISS’s Destroyer, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Alice Cooper’s Welcome To My Nightmare. Revenge was Bruce’s first experience working with Bob and he spoke about the initial anxiety of working with him, how songs developed in the studio and other secrets along the way.
As part of the writing process, Bruce acquired very rare samples and rough tracks direct from Ezrin to take home and write his guitar solos for the album. Song by song Bruce played examples from these tracks that really shed a different light on the album, exposing the level of detail and work ethic that made this a truly special body of work. Bruce also used these tracks to jam along to which was exciting to see in this intimate setting.
Throughout the clinic Bruce encouraged questions from the crowd and took time to answer these thoroughly. The presentation concluded with a special meet n’ greet where Bruce posed for photos with fans and signed countless pieces of KISS memorabilia. It was a fantastic way to celebrate this classic album and get inspiration from his journey. Thanks Bruce for sharing!
Bruce Kulick Revenge 20th Anniversary Clinic Tour
Proudly presented by Allans Music + Billy Hyde and Seymour Duncan Date: Tues January 31, 2012 Time: 7pm Venue: Allans Music + Billy Hyde 152 Bourke St Melbourne VIC
Date: Fri February 3, 2012 Time: 7pm Venue: Allans Music + Billy Hyde 130 Pyrmont Bridge Rd Camperdown NSW
