Jayden Panesso (SYLAR) “I Was Afraid Of Seeing What I Was Capable Of”

 

Sylar have been dominating the music scene lately, not only with new tracks but also with their killer performances on stage. The band formed in 2011 and quickly started pumping out material. They released the EP ‘Cutting Ties’ in the same year as their formation, and followed it up with another EP in 2013 titled ‘Deadbeat’ produced by Caleb Shomo (of Attack Attack!). Sylar then released their debut album ‘To Whom It May Concern’ a year later via Razor & Tie. This is the album that truly got the bands feet firmly planted in the music world. With powerful and emotional tracks like “Prescription Meditation” the band put a little bit of themselves in each track. The New Yorkers went on to sign with Hopeless Records and one up themselves releasing ‘Help’ in August of 2016. This would give them one of their biggest hits thus far in “Assume”. The album charted as high as 8th in Heatseekers Albums in September of 2016 on Billboard. The band already had 4 releases under their belt and on October 5, 2018 the band released another full length studio album marking their 5 release titled ‘Seasons’. The album is their second release on Hopeless Records. The single “All or Nothing” was the first release from ‘Seasons’ and it helps get fans pumped for the release. ‘Seasons’ was produced by Erik Ron who has worked with bands like Motionless In White, Blessthefall, I See StarsAttila, and Godsmack.

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Rock Allegiance 2018 [Review & Photo Gallery]

Skillet

Words By: Gretchen Piening & Mark Bryson | Photography By: Travis Eisenhard

This years Rock Allegiance in Camden, New Jersey was one no one wanted to miss. One full day of hard rock and brotherhood among fans. Unlike some of the other weekend long festivals Rock Allegiance gives us the chance to go all out for one day and not worrying about conserving energy for tomorrow. This years headliners made the festival even more special with Papa Roach, and Limp Bizkit leading the way followed by well-known established acts like Motionless In White, Skillet, and Bullet For My Valentine. To make things even more special we also got some bands that aren’t often seen on Danny Wimmer produced festivals like Insane Clown Posse and Gwar, regardless if you like either band there is no denying they both bring something to the stage that no other band does. Of course we can’t forget those up and coming bands that play in the heat of the day. These are the bands that in a few years will be headlining stages across the country. Some of those bands we had been looking forward to were Blacktop Mojo, Sylar, Stone Broken, Bad Flower and the Kentucky Hardcore heroes Knocked Loose. Unfortunately due to some of the bands set times overlapping and also conducting interviews we weren’t able to see every band, but we tried to see as many as possible and if you missed a performance hopefully we can clue you in on what went down.  Continue reading

What I Learned From A Juggalo [Exclusive Interview]

It would be amiss to glaze over the utter confusion that fell upon many as the announcement of the fourth installment of Camden’s Rock Allegiance lineup was revealed. Sure, heavy on the nu-metal, plenty of the current up and comers, but right in the middle of the ad mat sits one that raised more than a few eyebrows. Insane Clown Posse. Admittedly, I laughed and sent out a few snarky text messages in response to it all. ICP? With their “whoop whoops” and their Faygo at a rock and metal festival? Either utter insanity on Danny Wimmer‘s part, or pure genius… there was some investigating to be done before drawing any conclusions.

Perhaps it was fate, but somehow through the Metal Nexus community, there lay an answer to every question, even ones unknown. Oddly enough, these words of wisdom came from a dude in a bikini. Mankini, as he is called. Mankini resides in Maryland and he is a world class Juggalo. That last sentence is not facetious whatsoever. Mankini was featured in a BBC documentary, “The World’s Most Extreme Festivals: The Gathering of the Juggalos.” He takes the apprehensive British host around the Gathering, telling tales, debunking myths and setting a really positive tone to a people who are often stereotyped for delinquency and debauchery. What people would quickly learn, is that these people are just simply putting themselves out there for the world to see. Many people and we mean MANY, will always partake in delinquency and debauchery of sorts, whether that be enjoying voyeurism, skinny-dipping, or even looking for partners through Nudist Dating sites or similar. The only difference is how these different people approach how open and public they are to others regarding their personal activities.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Mankini about his introduction to the fam-uh-ly, experience with the Gathering and other festivals and he even reveals his favorite kind of Faygo. This exclusive interview is only here on Metal Nexus, please enjoy.

 

METAL NEXUS: The BBC documentary about The World’s Most Extreme Festivals that focused on The Gathering put you front and center as a voice and personal tour guide for Juggalos. Which we have to add you spend the entirety of the festival in a bikini, thus your moniker “Mankini”… How has it been placed in an almost ambassador role for the Juggalo community?

MANKINI: Aww man, that’s a crazy one. I always look back on that and think, “What is life? Did that really happen?” And it did, it really happened and in my honest opinion, it was truly amazing, not only for me, but Juggalos as a whole.

It’s funny you bring up “ambassador” when talking about Mankini. This all started on accident during a beer pong tournament at the Gathering, one year prior to the documentary. It was hilarious to me, and everyone else. But, it quickly became “my thing” because the Juggalos embraced it so hard, the bikini became a staple. So, when we talk about ambassador, I guess you could say the Juggalos did that, they let Mankini be, and wanted more of him, and they allowed Mankini to have a voice that’s constantly in the media talking about us. And, cameras of any sort seem to be rather fond of a guy in a bikini. Let’s not forget that I love my Juggalo family and do everything in my power to paint our community in a positive light, anytime I have the chance. Mankini exists because of the Juggalos, there wouldn’t be a Mankini otherwise, my sole duty is to continue spreading this Juggalo love whenever possible.

MN: What has been the best and worst things you have endured in regards to your normal festival attire aka the bikini?

MANKINI: The best? I’ve been pulled on stage, I’ve had some of my favorite musicians pull ME ASIDE and take a photo with me…. that’s completely surreal. Worst? Man, I don’t even want to go in to details, but being a half black dude, in a bikini does not always draw the kindest comments. I’ve had some HEAVY slurs thrown my way. And don’t get me wrong, 99% of the time, it’s nothing but positivity. But when that 1% hits, it hits hard with hate and ignorance. I ignore it, it’s what you’ve got to do.

MN: What drew you to the juggalo community? Was it just the music or was there more to it than that?

MANKINI: It was the music, initially. I remember in high school when a buddy of mine said, “you know what, I think you’d really like Insane Clown Posse.” I had no idea what he was talking about, it was completely foreign to me. So, I went to a friends house and got on Napster and downloaded a song he said I had to hear “Still Stabbin.” I highly recommend it to anyone who has never listened to ICP. But, I heard that song, and I was pulled in immediately, I can’t tell you what drew me to them from that song, but I know that’s upon first listen, I instantly wanted more. I went and picked up the only album I could find, The Great Milenko, which had already been out for more than a couple of years. That album changed me forever, it was the only thing I listened to for 3 months straight. Thus began my journey into all things ICP. It wouldn’t be until 11 years later that I made it to my first Gathering ever. And that’s when everything really hit me. I had been to shows before, met local Juggalos, and even friended a few online. But once I hit the Gathering, I found something I didn’t know I was missing. I found that hike away from, where all of my extended family had been meeting up all the years prior. But I’ll tell you, it all starts with that music, and I really can’t put my finger on what it was, but there was something that just called to me, and told me “you belong” and I never looked back. Man, I love my mother fucking Juggalo family!

MN: You are just returning from this years The Gathering of the Juggalos in Ohio which in addition to Juggalo acts also featured CKY, Butcher Babies, Attila, and Gwar. How do you feel this festival compares to festivals like Rock Allegiance?

MANKINI: I’ll say this in, in what I feel the realest answer is. The Gathering is the last of the truly independent, truly about freedom, most accepting music festival in the country.

Don’t get me wrong, I attend all kinds of festivals, and man do I love going to them! But they are not the Gathering. They don’t have the camping literally on the grounds of the festival, the Gathering doesn’t have $16 beers because you bring your own. The Gathering doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg for simple access to their festival. The Gathering kinda has no rules, kinda. There’s obviously rules, but they’re much more guidelines simply there for your safety and the safety of others. It’s one giant party that doesn’t stop for 4 days….literally. You think a guy in a bikini is fun, there’s people at the Gathering, and I mean more than 50 people, who just walk around naked all week, it’s freedom and it’s fun.

And I’m not knocking Rock Allegiance at all, but it’s a different beast, with a different audience. Juggalos will show up to Rock Allegiance for ICP. Metal heads won’t show up to the Gathering for Gwar, CKY, Butcher Babies, Sevendust, or even Cannibal Corpse. The Gathering is something special.

MN: From the documentary you were featured in we also heard about the “year of the butthole”, can you tell us about that? And what was it this year?

MANKINI: Hahahahahahahahaha! This is why Juggalos are so great. That wasn’t like the official theme of the year, that was all done online by Juggalos. It gained traction online in all the Juggalo forums, and took off for real as soon a as we hit the Gathering grounds. Actually, that was the 17th annual, the year of the butterfly, and there’s a whole story there, but I don’t think we have the time for that one. This years theme was Whoopstock, embracing the peace and love of the Juggalo community and spreading it like never before. We even had cover bands of actual Woodstock performers. There was a Hendrix Cover band, a Grateful Dead cover band, even a Santana cover band. It was really cool.

MN: ICP is slated to perform at this year’s Rock Allegiance festival on October 6th in Camden, New Jersey. How do you feel they fit in on a lineup that is predominantly rock or metal?

MANKINI: In actuality, ICP belong at that festival. I mean, ICP have got to be one of the few acts that can perform at rap or metal fest and still do damn good. Not to mention, ICP have been doing this for 30 years, these guys are well known, despite the hatred they get. I think they fit in perfectly! And, I assure you, there will be mosh pits.

MN: Metalheads and juggalos sometimes clash, what do you think some misconceptions are that keep them from being more friendly?

MANKINI: Well, I think the biggest one is, we can’t get along because our tastes in music are so far from each other, we never see eye to eye on anything. I can tell you firsthand, as being someone who loves both metal and rap, both sides are actually kinda similar. I’ve met plenty of Metalheads that are insanely accepting, of everything, and many of them even talk about their love of Juggalos. I also think that Juggalos are very weary of just letting metalheads into our community, while there may be some “things” you see from and around Juggalos, metalheads can carry a pretty bad reputation too. Honestly, I think we can all get along, if we just kinda talk it out first.

MN: When did you realize that ICP fans are more than just music fans?

MANKINI: Shit! After my first ICP show. I’ll never forget walking into this club in DC, with my buddy, and literally being welcomed by everybody in the room. The fact that I was at the show, made me their friend…er, family, and it was the coolest, most sincere feeling.

MN: As most of us know Faygo is the favored drink of Juggalos, what is your favorite faygo flavor? …… For people that are unaware can you explain what a Faygo Armageddon is and should we expect one at Rock Allegiance?

MANKINI: Favorite flavor? 60/40, it’s like a grapefruit lime soda, It’s fucking delicious. A Faygo Armageddon is the culmination of an ICP set. Throughout the entire they will throw and spray and Faygo, but during the last song it goes completely ape shit bonkers! In many cases, Juggalos bum rush the stage to throw the soda as well. We’re talking cases and cases of Faygo being sprayed and thrown rapidly, it’s like splash mountain on acid!

MN: You’ve been to plenty of metal festivals, what has been some of your favorites?

MANKINI: Rock On The Range is probably top of that list. And not just because Mankini is so insanely accepted and loved there, but because it feels like my Gathering before the Gathering, and I treat it as such. I’m actually hitting Louder Than Life for the first time ever, and I’m super stoked to be there! There is one that I really need to hit, and that’s Wacken Open Air, in Germany. Next year is their 30th anniversary of that festival and I really want to check it out….I wonder how they’ll take Mankini at a European metal fest???

MN: Other than the lineup and/or bands performing, what are some of the most important aspects of a festival to you?

MANKINI: Food offered. I’m a fat kid, I love food, good food at that. You bring the good eats, I’ll bring my feet’s. Vendors. If you have a bunch of insanely corporate vendors at your festival, I really don’t care what you’re about then, because you’ve made it clear you only care about money. I’m all about independent vendors, artists, young musicians, Fuck Cancer (I love that whole crew by the way).

MN: With the exception of ICP, who is your favorite band performing at Rock Allegiance?

MANKINI: I’ve got to give you two… Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach. I’ve always loved the both of those bands and have followed their careers for many years, and will continue to do so. They’re going to throw it the fuck down! And I can wait.

MN: As you well know Rock Allegiance is ran by Danny Wimmer Presents who promotes some of the largest and most revered festivals in the country. How important is it do you think that ICP is making its way onto the stage of a mainstream kind of festival?

MANKINI: I mean, these guys played Woodstock 99. They also go on nationwide tours every year, they even tour overseas and in Canada. I know that festival is critically panned for all the violence and everything else that went down there. But, it was one helluva festival when it happened. But, this is huge too, insanely huge. I’ve always said that DWP needs to start booking ICP on their festivals, these guys absolutely kill any stage they touch, and the set is always a crazy party. Hopefully we get more DWP/ICP from this.

MN: So for all the naysayers and metalheads out there that are totally against ICP performing at a rock or metal festival like Rock Allegiance, what is your pitch to them to check the band out when they perform?

MANKINI: Come, come see the greatest show you’ll ever see. It has clowns, freaks, zombies and weirdos. ICP will literally blow your mind with their set, and you won’t even know what to do afterwards. I promise, you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and definitely soaked in Faygo…so don’t forget to bring something to keep your phone safe. I challenge you all to step outside of your box, and try something different.

MN: Last but not least, have you chosen what bikini you will be wearing to this event yet?

MANKINI: Not yet….but there’s still time. It’ll definitely be sexy.

Aside from being an incredible sport and tremendously fun interview, Mankini made some remarks that really resonate. Namely, the community aspect of scenes. Whether one is a Juggalo, metalhead or a country fan, there should be an unsung honor within our respective scenes. Juggalos preach for “family.” There is no judgement, no hierarchy and really no reason to banish anyone. I have been attending metal shows for over a decade now, and whole heartedly admit my guilt in the following. There is a definite elitism that is very apparent in metal. It could be a “my taste is better than yours” or the thought that has crossed my own mind an embarrassing amount of times, “this is only your 5th show? Well, it’s my 17th.” In this thinking there is primal flaw. It doesn’t matter if one loves Norwegian black metal, 9 string prog or war history power metal. We are all playing on the same team. A victory for one is a victory for all. We all like heavy riffs, for god’s sake. The Juggalos don’t care if this is your first or your millionth Gathering, so why should we think less of someone for not being into metal long enough or liking more mainstream bands? If you’re at a metal show, you’re part of the crew.

Going into this interview, I struggled to believe that much substance would come from something that was seemingly very lighthearted and fun. But living with it for a bit and allowing these thoughts marinate, it ended up as a critical retrospective for my identity as a metalhead and the metal scene as a whole. With a new found respect for Juggalos and an agenda to be open, welcoming and positive. Shows are where we go to get away from work, school, relationship issues and anything else that sucks in life. Let’s just all enjoy a good beer, listening to some heavy shit and have a great time.

I will likely not be wearing clown makeup to Rock Allegiance, however, I will certainly take the time to check out Insane Clown Posse’s set. If you STILL haven’t purchased your tickets yet, it’s not too late, and you can do so right here. The festival is right around the corner and yes, Mankini WILL be making an appearance. Details for his meet and greet to come.

 

Rock Allegiance Artist Showcase: SYLAR

From Queens, New York, Sylar brings a head-bobbing groove to this year’s Rock Allegiance festival. Their current sound reflects a fusion of rap-rock with heavy modern riffs harkens back to the early 2000’s influences that nu-metal brought to the table. Sylar came to fruition by the hands of singer Jayson Panesso and drummer Thomas Veroutis. Currently signed to Hopeless Records, they are set to release their third full length, “Seasons,” on October 5th.

Their first EP, “Deadbeat” will likely appeal more to a more hardcore audience and two full lengths in between bridge the gap to where the band currently is. Early material was produced by Beartooth frontman, Caleb Shomo, whom Sylar will tour with this fall, one of the stops being Rock Allegiance in Camden, New Jersey. You can check out our previous interview with the band here.

Sylar do an excellent job in paying homage to a major influence, Linkin Park in 2017 when they released a single of their cover of “Points of Authority.” Heavy, aggressive and sometimes unforgiving, Sylar find the perfect balance between chaos and composure. Panesso’s vocals carry a tune that glazes the beatdown riffs with something sweet.

October 6th, in Camden, NJ, Sylar will be a part of the fourth annual Rock Allegiance festival. Tickets are still for sale and can be purchased here, with some fabulous VIP options as well.


Rock Allegiance Artist Showcase: DEVOUR THE DAY

Hard rockers Devour the Day formed out the ashes of Egypt Central with Joey “Chicago” Walser and Blake Allison in 2012. Hailing from the bluesy city of Memphis, Walser and Allison began working on their new project immediately with Skidd Mills (Sick Puppies, Skillet, Pop Evil). After picking up former Egypt Central guitarist Jeff James and drummer Dustin Schoenhofer (Walls of Jericho, Bury Your Day) for touring they released their debut record Time & Pressure.  Devour the Day was able to sell over 220,000 copies and their radio single “Good Man” hit the Top 10 Rock charts. Continue reading

Rock Allegiance 2018 Spotlight: KNOCKED LOOSE

Have you ever just been standing there, minding your own when someone jump kicks your teeth into your skull? That’s exactly what Knocked Loose sounds like. These riffs are so grimy and down tuned so low that the neck of the guitar might as well snap due to lack of tension. They make you want to take a bite out of the sidewalk.

Perhaps the heaviest thing that Kentucky has every produced, Knocked Loose has been cranking out filth since around 2012 with their current lineup. Lead by vocalist, Bryan Garris, Cole Crutchfield and Isaac Hale on guitars, Kevin Otten on bass and on drums, Kevin Kaine. Their metalcore/hardcore revival outfit is currently signed with Pure Noise Records, with one full length, “Laugh Tracks” that was released in the fall of 2016. It was masterfully produced by Will Putney of Fit For An Autopsy whose done work with Body Count, Every Time I Die, Thy Art is Murder, etc.

Knocked Loose is currently making their rounds on a select few dates of the last inception of Warped Tour. Their very first US headlining run was earlier this Spring, alongside Terror and Jesus Piece. This band has been turning heads in the scene ever since their LP dropped. These breakdowns are so heavy the floor nearly caves in. Vocalist Garris prefaces the “Counting Worms” breakdown by barking. This might be the best way to announce a breakdown since 2004 when Unearth called “BREAKDOWN” before it came down in “This Lying World.”

They are definitely one of the hardest bands on the 2018 lineup of Rock Allegiance and arguably one of the most important bands to check out at said festival. Do not leave your vans and dad hats at home.

Knocked Loose will be playing alongside Avenged Sevenfold, Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach on October 6th, in Camden, NJ.

Tickets for Rock Allegiance are on sale right here and VIP packages are still available.

Rock Allegiance 2018 Spotlight: BAD OMENS

Bad Omens is a Los Angeles based metalcore act that formed out of several different projects in 2013. Vocalist Noah Sabastian began writing music outside of the current band he was a member of in Richmond, Va. Noah then contacted his friends, guitarist Nicholas Ryan and bassist Vincent Riquier. They helped put the missing pieces together with Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson and Nick Folio.

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Rock Allegiance Returns For 4th Year Featuring AVENGED SEVENFOLD, LIMP BIZKIT And More!

This fall, the Philadelphia area welcomes back the fourth edition of the Rock Allegiance festival. The BB&T Pavilion and Wiggins Waterfront Park in Camden, New Jersey, will be home to single day event for the second year in a row. Experience some of Philadelphia’s best food and some of the countries’ best brews, all while rocking out to your favorite band. Continue reading

Louder Than Life Spotlight: BLEEKER

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Bleeker.

On Sunday, October 1st, Bleeker is coming to Louder Than Life all the way from Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2003 but did not change their name to Bleeker until 2016. Taylor and Cole Perkins formed the band as brothers and continue to climb their way up the ladder of the rock scene. They were all young teenagers when they started so they are still a fairly young band despite being seasoned artists. They were originally called Bleeker Ridge but changed their name to just Bleeker when Dustin and Dan Steinke left the band in 2016. Their sound in their early days was strong enough to get them signed to Roadrunner Records in 2010. They released ‘Small Town Dead’ and later toured with acts like Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Airbourne. They released one more album under Bleeker Ridge independently in 2013 before the name change. The new album marked the band’s rise back to the top for a second time. Continue reading

Louder Than Life Spotlight: BADFLOWER

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Louder Than Life gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Badflower.

On Sunday, October 1st, hard rock band Badflower hits the Louder Than Life stage for the first time. The band started out just 4 years ago in Los Angeles. People immediately took note of their passionate, bluesy rock performances as they received high praise for a show they played with Kongos. They released their music video for “Soap” the following year via Hundred Hand Records. The video was even premiered on Loudwire, so the band was definitely being noticed by the right people at an early stage. The quartet has played on several Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Welcome To Rockville since signing with Republic Records last year. Continue reading