What's New

July 19, 2005

Rosies Update: Please note that the Club Vodka gig on July 29th with Whole Lotta Rosies has been cancelled due to Club Vodka's venue change. We will be rescheduling with Club Vodka and have a new date TBA.

Hangar 18 Update: What a great time the Thrash Against Cancer show was! The crowd was magnificent, and it was quite a thrill to see the original line-up of Testament plus Laaz Rockit, not to mention seeing The Daves(TM) with Hirax! Hangar 18's Thrash Against Cancer set photos are now online in the Hangar 18 Photo Hangar.

Crescent Shield Update: CS is recording still. Vox are being laid down. Bass soon.

Words: I've updated the Words page with a link to my MySpace Blog, where i've been scrawling out some useless musings.

June 27 , 2005

No More Deception : Alas and alack, I bid a farewell to Deception; unfortunately having four bands at a time proved to be much too much. They are an extremely talented band, and I wish them the best of luck! Keep an eye out for this band making big waves in the future!

Thrash Against Cancer: Hangar 18 is thrilled to have been invited to close out the Thrash Against Cancer benefit in San Francisco. The show, which raises money for families of cancer victims, features killer talent like the original line-up of the legendary Testament, plus thrash legends Laaz Rockit and Hirax, and many many MANY more! Information can be found on the Hangar 18 website.

April 14, 2005

My... what a lot of gigs you have... : And no, I'm not referring to the size of my computer's hard drive! Check the front page of this site for the ever-growing list of live shows. Many gigs = happy mel. Next gig is a fest for the notorious MetalSludge at Club Vodka in Hollywood on 4/28.

And tickets for the Overkill, Therion, or Stratovarius shows are available on the Deception website, or drop me an e-mail at mel at raven-mad dot com and we'll arrange it via paypal.

MetalJam 2005: Planning has begun for LA's metal jam for charity, MetalJam! Volunteers are needed. Donations are needed. Information can be found at the new Metaljam website. Check it out!

The Metal Scene Airs Again: Last night, the latest episode of The Metal Scene TV show was filmed, with yours truly as the host. The guests of the evening were Hangar 18 (why yes, i did interview my own band!), and we rolled some rare footage of that historical Megadeth reunion that took place in November 2004, plus videos from Rue, Metal Illusion, Neurotoxin, and Children of Bodom.

Wanna catch the show? If you live in the east San Fernando Valley area and have Adelphia cable, turn to channel 25 on Saturday April 23 at 7pm to see the premiere! Orange County folks should keep their ears on to channels 95, 97, and 98 on Adelphia cable, every Saturday at 11pm, for the latest episode of The Metal Scene.

April 6 , 2005

Whole Lotta Rosies 4/9 gig CANCELLED: If you were planning on heading out to scenic Temecula, CA to catch Whole Lotta Rosies this Saturday night (4/9), please be aware that the show has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. :( Our next gig will be 4/30 at 14 Below in Santa Monica, CA -- hope to see you there!

April 1 , 2005

Melz MySpace page : I finally joined the bandwagon and left my mark on MySpace. Check out my MySpace my space at http://www.myspace.com/melzspace .

March 4 , 2005

The Metal Scene: The Metal Scene - LA's Hottest Local Metal will be broadcast this and next Saturday night at 11pm on Adelphia Cable in the Orange County area on channel 95, 97, and 98! This Saturday night, The Metal Scene focuses on Inland Emperors Metal Illusion; And on Saturday 3/12, catch an interview with Metal titans Scarred, plus videos from Hangar 18 (hey that's me!), Intentional Rage, Metal Illusion, and of course Scarred. I will be hosting both of these shows, so don't miss 'em! And check out The Metal Scene's new website!

When it Rains, it Pours: First famine, now feast! Seems that things just became very busy in the world of music! First, Hangar 18 will be hitting the bay area this month, 3/19 and a local gig next Wednesday night 3/9 at The Hop in Puente Hills. And it seems that I will be playing a lot more with Whole Lotta Rosies, including a trip to Hogue Barmichaels in Newport Beach on 3/26, and more gigs being booked as I type!

I will also be joining ranks (again!) with local thrashers Deception, and our first gig wiil be a biggie! One of my fave bands, who hasn't played the west coast in over a decade, will be at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana in September (9/20) -- yep, Overkill's back to shred and Deception will be opening night! Need cheap tix to the show? Drop me an e-mail at tickets@raven-mad.com

And fear not, the glory of the shield shines still! Rehearsals for Crescent Shield's upcoming recording will begin in March!

Somewhere in there, I'll find time to sleep, but as well all know, sleep is HIIIIGHGHGHGHHHLYYY overrated!

January 31, 2005

The Metal Scene: Keep your eyeballs peeled to Adelphia cable's Public Access channel for a show called The Metal Scene. The Metal Scene deliver's Los Angeles' hottest local metal, and the latest episode features the band Metal Illusion, and includes me as the VJ/interviewer -- my small screen debut! :)

A Wednesday in Hollywood: Whole Lotta Rosies will be playing a small show at The Cat Club on Sunset Strip, right next door to the historic Whisky A-Go-Go. Come hang out on a school night for some good ol' rock n roll.

January 18, 2005

GIGS, GIGS, GIGS ! The other day I was at the local Panda Express and got the fortune in my fortune cookie that read "Enjoy the Stage". 2005 seems to be the year to do just that. As such, I will be doing several more gigs with Whole Lotta Rosies -- catch the skinny at The Rosies Rock dot com. Hangar 18's first gig of 2005 is confirmed at the Fiesta Rancho Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Check the Hangar 18 shows page for more info, but pardon the dust, as I'm re-designing the site. It's a slow work in progress.

And speaking of websites, i have taken over webmistressing for a great Southern California Metal band called Resistance. Check out the site!

NAMM 2005: I'm looking forward to NAMMing at the biggest gearfest and party of the year, NAMM at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend. Hope to see you there!

January 10, 2005

HAPPY NEW YEAR! With a rather bad 2004 behind us (especially that rather brutal end-of-year cappeed off by the horrific tsunamis in South Asia -- I'm still in a state of shock), here's hoping for a better, brighter new year in 2005.

It's good to get back into the swing of things. The holidays tend to leave things in a state of disarray. And speaking of things back in the swing of things, Hangar 18 is back for the new year, and we'll be hitting things off in 2005 at the Fiesta Rancho Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Information is still coming in, and will be posted soon on the Hangar 18 website.

I will also be working a little more with Whole Lotta Rosies, all-female, all-AC/DC in 2005. In February I'll be playing two nights with them in Hollywood and Huntington Beach. Check out the Whole Lotta Rosies Website at http://www.therosiesrock.com or Moshking.com for more info!

Things are still a bit slowly with Crescent Shield. Recording is on the agenda for 2005.

News from 2004 ...