The Will and Thunder Show

We've had all sorts of musical guests, but did you ever wonder who makes it work behind the scenes? Well, Mark Smith of National Amateur Discovery Music Business Resources is that guy. In addition to discovering talent, he also breathes life into stagnant music scenes. He's in El Paso right now doing just that. He is also a producer. We'll be talking with him about what he does, as well as hearing a couple bands that he is working with. Don't miss it! This should be an interesting show!

Two founding members of the band Beyond Forgiveness have played together in bands for a better part of 11 years, After their first band (Hells Eden) disbanded in 2008, two remaining bandmembers, Greg Witwer and Richard Marcus, kept in contact with each other. Their musical aspirations were very similar in the fact that Greg was heavily influenced in the power metal genre and Richard was heavily influenced in the gothic metal genre but both had one big thing they agreed on, they both aspired to play in a female fronted style band. They formed Beyond Forgiveness and symphonic gothic bliss was born. The band started recording their debut album but fellow founding member and lead vocalist Lynn Brown left the band in 2013 and again it appeared that Beyond Forgiveness would no longer be. Turn forward the year 2014 both members had decided that what they envisioned and what they had put together with Lynn and their drummer Mike Bulach was just to good to let die so both guitarists started jamming together again. They were contacted through their then keyboardist of a female vocalist who sent them a rough recording of a Within Temptation song titled "Angels" and a 2-minute clip of the classical song "O Mio Babbino Caro". Both knew that minute this was the person they had to have as their frontwoman. To their pleasant surprise it was the engineer Talia Hoit who had helped them several years earlier in the recording of their first full length cd with Lynn and Mike. The pieces were again falling in the right place, their final goal was to bring back the original drummer Mike Bulach. After several months of text messages and a little begging their vision was once again full circle. Now with their vision of symphonic mastery and the fantastic orchestrations by Talia, with the departure of their keyboardist, the Colorado-based band is now releasing their first EP titled The Ferryman's Shore.

Hailing from San Diego California, Sean has been a valiant warrior over the years in metal’s underground battlefield. Having fronted the band CAGE since 1992, their classic heavy metal style garnered them many accolades and awards. Sean’s versatile style and tone has helped him carve out his place amongst today’s best metal vocalists. His influences are worn on his sleeve for all to see, but his creative mind and song writing talents are also what makes him the artist that has many finally discovering this vocal monster. In 2013 he joined with some other well- known musicians to form DEATH DEALER which provided him with yet another vehicle to showcase his incredible range and power. He is well known for being a staunch proponent for all things metal and the unique brotherhood and sense of community that is created by it. In Novemeber 2014 he joined Denner / Shermann and completed their first EP “Satan’s Tomb” in March 2015 and released October 2nd 2015!

In addition to our normal schenanigans (Rock/metal news and history, The Book of Rock, Dumbass of the Week, and Scary Justin's Horror Movie Trivia) we have a great band from Ohio.   Legendary Producer Michael Wagener just completed the mixing & mastering of the band’s upcoming EP Redemption Vol I. Over Thanksgiving weekend, members of the band converged at Michael Wagener’s Wireworld Studio in Nashville, Tennessee to mix the first of what will be a ten EP collection by the band. The band is very enthusiastic that this collaboration could be what finally gets them over the wretched music-business hump. Apocalyptic Lovers proudly seek the audience of the once huge Arena Rock bands that have been the staple of Mr. Wagener’s producing, engineering, and mixing career. His credits are a mile long, including Ozzy Osborne, Motley Crue, Metallica, Megadeth, Skid Row, Poison, Dokken and Alice Cooper to name a few. When the band formed years ago, most of the members of the Apocalyptic Lovers were originally from Ohio. The five members now populate greater cities in OH, PA, RI & VA. The band members each took a weekend away from their homes in August of '15 to converge with the rest of their band mates at Mindrocket Studios in West Middlesex, PA.

Clark's Secret Identity is an experimental rock band that is hard to associate with any certain subgenre. While predominately influenced by modern progressive rock, the band also incorporates the sounds of art rock, post rock, and even hints of doom metal and punk. Despite these labels, CSI strives to connect personally to the listener rather than distance themselves as many experimental bands do, and the songs display a penchant for tightness, cohesion, and accessibility. Clark's Secret Identity was formed in early 2014 when drummer Matthew Bankes posted an ad seeking musicians for an original rock project with a progressive rock feel. The ad was answered by guitarist Shane Anthony, a classically trained songwriter fresh out of college. The two struck an immediate bond over common musical interests and started jamming and discussing ideas. Bassist Keith Horning, a longtime friend and former bandmate of Matthew’s, joined the project and the core trio was complete. In 2015, Clark's Secret Identity decided to pull four songs from their growing song list to record for their debut EP. Recorded and engineered by Odin's Court guitarist Matt Brookins at D2C Studios, Clark's Secret Identity's debut EP was released on December 22, 2015 as a digital download.

THIS SHOW STARTS AT 9PM EASTERN WHO WAS I was formed in 2007 by Steve Harvey in Palm Bay, Florida. Steve is the co-lead guitarist and co-writer for the group. “The mission from the beginning, was to assemble an original heavy metal outfit that would not only lyrically bring pleasure to our fan base, but, to also deliver a live performance that would send people on their way home singing the refrains from the tunes that we were inspired to write”. Now, the band is producing their sophomore effort, WHAT I’VE BECOME, which is currently in the final mastering stages in Los Angeles, California, and due in early 2016. “We have been patient and committed, we are family men that rely on making the right decisions for our women and our children and we are not going to compromise our music until we have a product that reflects the same commitment we make to our own families”, says co-lead guitarist Sto Cephas.  We have been fortunate to share the stage with so many bands that have inspired and touched our souls and offer our eternal gratitude to MUDVAYNE, SEVENDUST, GODSMACK, MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE, CHEVELLE, FEAR FACTORY, SOULFLY, SIX FEET UNDER, EXODUS, OVERKILL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, BURNING STARR, DEVIL DRIVER and MANOWAR, just to name a few, that have been so gracious, patient and impacting in our lives and to our performance. We have been lucky to travel to Europe, when in 2011, we performed on the main stage at the MAYHEM at the MAGIC CIRCLE FESTIVAL in Tolmin, Slovenia. “ The past several years of touring have lead up to this moment in time where we can now bring the best live performance to our fans with the exact music we have dedicated ourselves to writing, recording and performing live.

LAZARAS erupted as a testament to a love of horror movies and music. Citing influences including Black Sabbath, the Misfits, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, and the Ramones, the band sought to incorporate their love of death and violence with their love of guitar-driven, aggressive music. The result is a band that adds a unique flavor to horror punk. The diverse taste and background of the members are reflected in their albums. The songs range from short assaults to extended poundings, from punk to metal, from light-hearted horror to eye-gouging terror. That doesn't mean that the band can't occasionally sit back, sip some eggnog, and enjoy the holiday festivities... Besides, if you think about it, some guy you don't know climbing down your chimney in the middle of the night has all the makings of a classic horror film!   Merry Flippin' Christmas!!!

Heavy guitars, orchestras, drums, choirs, hot guitar solos...these are some of the music elements of Orion's Reign. The band, which was born somewhere in the middle of the previous decade, is characterized by its heavy sound and epic symphonic themes. They have one official full length album  Nuclear Winter (released worldwide by Rock it up Records), and many singles and compilations. In recent years, the band has made a tradition of making metal versions of traditional Christmas tunes, and uploading them on YouTube every Christmas! Orion's Reign is now recording its second full-length album, which is more epic than ever, including some of the most well-known metal guests worldwide! Enjoy the music and stay metal! As a Christmas bonus to our loyal listeners, Orion's Reign is joining us for a special Monday afternoon broadcast to play some metal holiday tunes and join us live on the show all the way from Greece, so be sure to tune in and get in the spirit of the season!

On this episode, we welcome Costas Miccas of THe Metal Syndicate, an online magazine/ radio station dedicated to metal. We'll be playing several of his favorite bands as well. What THE METAL SYNDICATE is: your #1 source who’s goal is to Further your #Metalducation.  The Metal Syndicate covers anything and everything within the Rock & Metal stratosphere in 3 distinctive yet similarly fashions. Primarily The Metal Syndicate functions with a Webzine/Magazine styled format consisting of the usual Metal news, Cd Reviews, Interviews (article, audio, video, Skype etc.,) videos of the week, contests, Promotions, PR, and the likes. This and a whole lot more.http://themetalsyndicate.wix.com/themetalsyndicate  Our Online Metal Radio station features an assortment of local and international DJ’s that are ready to violate your hearing with three 2 hour shows on a daily/weekly basis. Our shows are not streamed live but rather recorded and offered to you to listen at your convenience. They are available 24/7 on Pc & Mobile (compatible).

Insatia is an American/Canadian power metal band with female vocals. Founded in 2009 and fronted by Zoë Federoff, the band has released one self produced debut album and opened for multiple international acts, including Sonata Arctica and Dark Tranquility. In 2014 Fabio D'Amore (Serenity) and his partner Ivan Moni Bidin (Starsick System, Pathosray, Last Warning) announced their positions as producers on Insatia's upcoming sophomore release, Phoenix Aflame. Joined by producer Staffan Karlsson, known for his work with Arch Enemy, Firewind, Roxette, and many other notable acts, Fabio and Ivan spent the first part of 2015 recording the album at St. Cecilia Studios in Tucson, Arizona, USA, with engineers Steven Lee Tracy and Robbie Williamson. The album's production then went to Artesonika Studios, Fabio and Ivan's home base, in Perdenone Italy. In mid 2015 Insatia's lineup was further enhanced by the addition of Dave Ablaze on bass, as album production continued overseas. In November 2015 Insatia signed with Infinity Concerts for booking and management. Phoenix Aflame is set for a 2016 release and features Apollo Papathanesio (ex-Firewind, Spiritual Beggers), Chris Amott (ex-Arch Enemy, Armageddon), Christian Hermsdörfer (ex-Visions Of Atlantis, Serenity), and Erica James (The Erica James Band). Insatia is one of our favorite past guests, and they have a new lineup to introduce to us, and we can't wait to have them back on the show! Also during the first hour, we will be playing the brand-new single from our friends and past guests Tattermask! The band is reuniting one more time to play the famed Tremont in North Carolina, and released one last song for the road before the legendary venue closes its doors. You will hear the world premiere of "Man Up" on The Night Time Fiasco this Tuesday, so don't miss it!!!

Without question, one of the hardest working women in today's music business is Veronica Freeman, whose intoxicatingly powerful vocal abilities continue to be a staple of excellence within the industry. "The V" as she is known by both friends and fans has a success story that few ever attain and most only dream about. 2015 marks another landmark chapter in The V's career: not only has she recently been given the opportunity to share the stage with veteran rockers The Rods as a guest vocalist for their European spring tour, but she has released her debut solo effort, Now or Never, in July of 2015 via Frontiers Records to outstanding reviews. The album shows a side of The V that we've yet to experience as she has chosen to somewhat distance herself from the Heavy Metal styling's she is most known for and offer up a more Melodic Hard Rock approach. A plethora of guest musicians, vocalists and producers appear on the new CD including everyone from Michael Sweet to Leather Leone! The future continues to look bright for The V as she will make her film debut later this year in the independent release Bite School and will also begin filming for a second movie in Europe titled Devil's Five, a cyber horror feature where she will play Vala Schneider the wife of Ansell Schneider portrayed by Primal Fear frontman Ralf Scheepers. Overflowing with charisma, enduring long grueling hours in an effort to push herself to the point of breaking she maintains a dominance over every ambition she aspires to, in essence taking control of her own destiny. This is ...The V, and we are honored to have her on our show! V. stopped by for a few minutes last year during our show with Leather Leone, but this is her first interview segment with us and we are glad to have her with us! Be sure to tune in!!!

Lipstick is a glam rock band based in Nashville, TN. Originally a studio project led by vocalist Greg Troyan, Lipstick began performing live in the fall of 2012. The band released their debut album in 2014, which featured Billy Morris (Warrant/Quiet Riot/Tuff) on guitar. In 2015, Lipstick released a special edition of their debut album along with four bonus tracks as they began work on their second full-length album, due for a spring 2016 release. Unlike most hair metal bands, Lipstick doesn't sing songs about getting messed up on drugs or promiscuity. They're all about positive vibes; with songs about rock n roll, time travel and following your dreams! So be sure to tune in when they join us as our guests!

Considered one of the originators of the female power metal vocal style, Leather Leone is a trailblazer in her genre. Taking a cue from her mentor, Ronnie James Dio, Leather is a vocalist who wants to rock anywhere she is asked to sing, for any fans who want her. One of our favorite guests, she's back on our show nearly a year since her last appearance, and she'll be here to promote the latest Chastain album, aptly titled We Bleed Metal! The album won't officially be out until November 6th, but Leather is bringing 3 brand-new songs to the show with her, which you will get to hear before the album's release! Always a fun guest, we look forward to catching up with Leather and finding out what Chastain is up to and what they've got planned for 2016. Be sure to tune in!

It's our favorite time of year again: Halloween is here, which means it's time for our yearly Halloween show! We've got tricks and treats and lots of fun in store! Scary Justin is brushing up on his horror movie trivia, as we approach Halloween with a tied score! His zom-boy powers grow stronger as the day approaches, but does he have what it takes to become victorious? Also, we have some special guests stopping by: Washington, D.C.'s Landless Theatre Company! They have been bringing entertainment to the area for 12 years, and have put on productions such as adaptations of Sweeney Todd and Frankenstein, so we think they are perfect guests for our Halloween show. We'll have some music from some of their theater productions as well. The Landless Theatre Company is a non-profit organization dedicated to producing exciting and accessible art to cultivate new audiences for live theatre. Regional premieres have included Washington Post Editors’ Picks Gutenberg! The Musical!, President Harding Is A Rock Star, and Carrie Potter at The New Moon Prom. Other notable premieres include Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, Evil Dead: The Musical, and the 2010 Helen Hayes Recommended production of High Fidelity: A Musical. Original works include two selected participants in the NY International Fringe Festival (Gleeam and 2008 Best Musical Pick of the Capital Fringe Diamond Dead). Landless is also the proud curator of the annual Landless Mash-Up Festival, a showcase for playwrights to debut the wackiest material imaginable. This is sure to be a fun show, so tune in!

Created by Rob Bradley alongside Maxim Sobchenko. Thillkiller explores the boundaries of rock, pop, and metal creating a sound totally unique to itself. After their previous band, Aries concluded their 8 years together as a band. Performing alongside acts such as Sebastian Bach, The Protomen, Symphony X, and many others, Thrillkiller now works together with engineer Matt Bittman(Imagine Dragons, Mars Volta, Slipknot) to deliver truly exciting music that is very difficult to resist.

One of our most favorite bands and guests are back! The hardest-working band on the metal scene, A Sound of Thunder is back to talk to us about their 5th album and most ambitious project to date! Based on the Shadowman series of comic books, the band's latest release, Tales From the Deadside, is a concept album like no other. Award-winning comic book publisher Valiant Entertainment and Washington, DC area metal band A Sound of Thunder are teaming up for “Tales from the Deadside” – an all-new concept album inspired by New Orleans’ nocturnal guardian…the voodoo-empowered hero simply known as Shadowman! The story of Shadowman, his alter-ego Jack Boniface, and the many characters in his world inspired us to create what we believe is our best album to date,” said A Sound of Thunder guitarist Josh Schwartz. “We let the story lead us to places our music has never been before, combining all the elements of supernatural horror, drama, action and adventure found in the comics. Of course, everything has gone through our own unique Thunderous filter, and all the familiar ASOT elements will be there. Shadowman’s harrowing journey demanded no less!

Have you ever seen a group of old farts rock a stage? You will. Soon. And, we will be talking with the band, Geezer's lead singer, Harvey Geezer. Strange concept? I think not. And, I think you will enjoy them, and buy their cassette tapes! Don't miss this show. Harvey will also be our first in studio guest! Check out Will's blog posts about the band: http://williamtelltale.blogspot.com/2015/09/geezer-these-farts-rock.html  http://williamtelltale.blogspot.com/2015/09/geezer-theyve-got-something-and-it-aint.html

9PM Eastern! We took some time off, and we're back. New format, more fun, and as usual, great guests! We're kicking it off again with the legendary Harp Twins, One of our favorite guests. They will be making their second appearance as featured guests, discussing what's going on with them, future plans etc. Throughout the show, we will be playing 3 of their incredible harp covers of rock/ metal songs by bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Nightwish, ACDC and more! Don't miss it!!!

Mercy Isle presents a soundscape that blends synth pop, smooth vocals, crunchy-punchy layers of melodic metal, with splashes of baroque and classical music. Mercy Isle: sanctuary for the outcasts and loners, the ones who've felt left behind and pushed aside. Here is your strength. Here is your voice. Here is your music. Welcome to Mercy Isle, Islander. Welcome home. We'll be chatting with vocalist Kassy and bassist Chad about their music, their interesting back story of the band's formation, their international band line-up that spans from the U.S. to The Netherlands, and play some tunes from Mercy Isle as well as past bands and musical projects. Be sure to tune in!

Spring is here, and we're going to try something new with some old friends! Some of our favorite guests, the guys from Aries will stop by to chat with us about their album in the works, and whatever other subjects come to mind. Maybe we'll even play a little movie trivia with Scary Justin and get back on the board?