• Ucnx – Overgrowth [Generation Damaged] (2011)
• Be My Enemy – Break Your Body [This is the New Wave] (2010)
• Bile – Remove the Head [Built to Fuck Born to Kill] (2013)
• Lard – Generation Execute [Pure Chewing Satisfaction] (1997)
• mindFluxFuneral – Lies [Teatro de Revelacion] (2007)
• Waste Incorporated – Reason 58 [Waste Incorporated - ep] (2012)
• Death Rattle – The Dig [HE & I - ep] (2012)
• Atari Teenage Riot – Rearrange Your Synapses [Is This Hyperreal] (2011)
• Scum of the Earth – I Am The Monster [Sleaze Freak] (2007)
• Author & Punisher – Burrow Below [Drone Machines] (2010)
• Skinny Puppy – ParagUn [Weapon] (2013)

> Play Episode #167 (.mp3)

http://darkscene.blogspot.com/

http://darkscenerecords.webs.com/darkscene/dsreleases/

http://www.youtube.com/user/ExYuDarkScene

http://www.myspace.com/darkscenemagazine

http://www.last.fm/group/Dark%2520Scene

It isn’t pretty, but it is a show nonetheless.

Take it or leave it.

Here is what you will get to hear on this episode:

• Celldweller – Blackstar [Wish Upon a Blackstar] (2012)
• Our Existence is Punishment – The Death Instinct [The Horrid Truth Still untold] (2011)
• Paul Barker (With Taylor Momsen) – Victory [Fix This!] (2012)
• DDM – Becoming Perception [Lucidity] (2011)
• Cryogen Second (With Sarah Chenoweth) – Thirty-Eight [Electronic Saviors 2: Recurrence] (2012)
• Unit:187 – Rolling Vengeance (Remixed by Ken “Hiwatt” Marshall and Cevin Key) [Transfusion] (2012)
• Desdemona – In Flames [Endorphins] (2012)
• P.H.O.B.O.S. – Transonic Mahasamadhi [Atonal Hypermnesia] (2012)
• Shellshock – Crisis [Born From Decline] (2012)
• The Rabid Whole – Future [Refuge] (2012)
• Hannibal – Somebody Wake Me [Cyberia] (2012)
• Oomph! – Such Mich Find Mich [Des Wahnsinns Fete Beute] (2012)
• Tyrant of Death – Transmogrification [Re Connect] (2012)
• JK Felsh – Earthmover [Posthuman] (2012)
• Killing Joke – Rapture [MMXII] (2012)
• Marilyn Manson – Overneath the Path of Misery [Born Villain] (2012)

Support the artists. PLEASE!!!

> Play Episode #166 (.mp3)

I’m not going to lie to you. I love making this show. I love it so much that as soon as I finished working on episode #164, I began work on this episode. And I just couldn’t contain myself. I had to produce it as fast as possible.

You see, I miss the music, I miss talking about the music, and I miss you guys and girls. I have missed each and every one of you. I need this show like a junkie needs his fix.

I have to say, though, I feel like this show was a sloppy one. It is hard to work a 14 hour shift and then do this podcast. I’m pretty tired when I come home, and sometimes sitting in front of the TV, drinking beer and watching music documentaries or Palladia seems like the only thing that I can possibly do.

But I’m alive again. Alive like I have never been alive before.

And your ears are better for it. Trust me.

On this show, you will hear the following:

• Swans – The Seer Returns [The Seer] (2012)
• Murder Happens – The End [ Dead World and Dying Suns] (2009)
• Black Light Burns – We Light Up [The Moment You Realize You're Going To Fall] (2012)
• Project Juggernaut – Daedalus [Ink Sonata] (2012)
• JenX – Blood Obsession [Enuma Elish] (2012)
• Fear Factory – Virus of Faith [The Industrialist] (2012)
• A Life Divided – The Last Dance [The Great Escape] (2013)
• The Loyal Opposition – Under the State [Under The State] (2012)
• Maximum Sexy Pigeon – Headkick [Unfit for Human Consumption] (2012)
• Nanochrist – Decontaminate [Erase The Sky] (2012)
• Klank – Alive In Me [Urban Warfare] (2012)
• Over-Reactor – Realisin’ [Mouth of the Ghetto] (2012)
• Chant – Empty [Strong Words For Strong People] (2010)
• Angels on Acid – A Brave New World [Exile] (2012)
• Sybreed – The Line of Least Resistance [God Is an Automaton] (2012)
• Tempest & The Diaspora – Jasmine [Amanita Muscaria] (2011)

Please support these artists and any artist that I have played on the previous 164 episodes. They make it possible for this show to exist. Buy their CD’s and merch, go to their shows and tell all your friends and family about them. I want them to keep making music so that I can keep playing them on this show!

> Play Episode #165 (.mp3)

Your feedback is always welcome and greatly encouraged. Message me at chromesj@yahoo.com.

Here is the set list for this show:

• Element A440 – Kookie Kutter [Whips, Knives, Candles and Quills] (2013)
• Human Factors Lab – Dead To Us All [The Blade EP] (2012)
• Hanzel und Gretyl – More German Than German [Born To Be Heiled] (2012)
• Treponem Pal – Riot Dance [Survival Sounds] (2012)
• 100Blumen – Your Hearts [Distrust Authority] (2012)
• Idiot Stare – Should Have Been [Unknown To Millions] (2012)
• Inertia – Lies [Universal Blood] (2012)
• Zeromancer – You Meet People Twice [Bye-Bye Borderline] (2013)
• Combichrist – Gimme Deathrace [No Redemption: Official Devil May Cry Soundtrack] (2013)
• KMFDM – Kunst [Kunst] (2013)
• Ron [K] – Stripped (Nude Mix) [Stripped EP] (2013)
• 16volt – Moutheater [SuperCoolNothing: 2012 Remaster] (2012)
• Christ Analogue – This Shall Not Breathe [In Radiant Decay: 2012 Remaster] (2012)
• Dead When I Found Her – Down In It [Stitches & Cover Ups] (2012)

I have other thoughts in this episode. I would appreciate your serious consideration to the things that I have said and to provide me constructive feedback. I trust you all and want to deliver the best product that serves you the listener, as well as the bands that I am trying to help promote. Thank you in advance.

Check out these great webzines:

Fabryka Industrial Rock Magazine

ReGen Magazine

I Die: You Die

Coma Music Magazine

> Play Episode #164 (.mp3)

Boy, was I wrong.

The year was marred by the losses of 10 of my friends, a few important people in the music community, and the death of one of my friend’s very young son. May they all rest in peace.

Beyond that, my work schedule only got harder to manage. I worked a record number of hours in 2011, only to have that record shattered by October of this year. The consumption of my personal time led to me having to walk away from 2 hobbies that I deemed very important to me: writing for Outburn Magazine and writing for ReGen Magazine. I have been told that the door is always open for my return, and in my heart it is, but I just can’t figure out how to make that a reality. It is just impossible with my lifestyle.

I also had to cut way back on my travel. I did get the opportunity to catch a few live shows this year, but far less than I have always allowed myself to enjoy. This fact leaves me feeling empty, because I am at home in bars and clubs, hanging with the fans, watching my favorite bands destroy stages and interacting with them before, during and after the show.

I made a few new friends, almost lost a few old ones, and I solidified my dedication to my wife and children. They truly are the most wonderful part of my life, and they deserve so much more from me.

I attempted to start a new podcast and found that I was in way over my head. I lost my focus on Razor Blade Dance Floor, and even pulled the plug on it several times without even telling any of you that I had done so. I would always come to my senses within 24 hours and promise myself to charge forward.

Through all of this, the one unifying factor that helped maintain my sanity was the music.

I always find peace within the music.

I challenged myself this year. I wanted to stretch my listening habits beyond the world of industrial and gothic music. I wanted to reconnect with the inner ‘metalhead’ that I once was. I wanted to learn more about hardcore and punk music. I wanted to embrace shoegaze in a deeper way than I already had. I wanted to navigate the strange waters of indie rock and alternative. I dabbled in electronic music and dubstep, stopped ignoring mainstream artists, and tried to shed the idea that I was a music snob. I don’t want to be an elitist any more. I think that I always will be at the core. My ego gets in the way of me being able to appreciate music, but that is a strange and mystical character trait that I need to circumnavigate as I get older.

And I think that I have done well with that concept thus far.

So what carried me through the year? A lot of good music, that is what. I acquired 329 2012 releases this year, mostly through purchase, but some were serviced to me because of the many connections that I have made over the years through writing and podcasting. I tried to narrow down these CD selections to a top 10, top 25 or top whatever. What I came up with is a list of 75 of my favorites.

What is the purpose of this list? I won’t lie to you. For me, it’s pure ego. Isn’t that why anybody makes a list like this? It’s all about the “Hey! Look at me! I know music and you don’t, so shut the fuck up and listen to my music!”

I’m kidding. Maybe.

Actually, I have always been about promotion. Ultimately I want these bands to get more recognition. I want people to realize that their work is good and they deserve your support.

Maybe you will glance over this list and realize that you have overlooked something. Maybe you agree or disagree with what is on it (or what is not on it) or maybe you think the order is all wrong.

Perhaps, but this is my opinion, and mine alone. You don’t need to agree with it. You can, however, debate it. Politely, please.

You think there is something wrong here? Let me know. You have a better list? Post it below. I love hearing what you have to say.

Clearly I talk too much. Enjoy this list! I have also included the lists of some of my good friends below as well. Maybe they got it more right than I did.

You be the judge.

75. Therapy? – A Brief Crack of Light
74. Sana Obruent – Prince of the Air
73. The Big Pink – Future This
72. Best Coast – The Only Place
71. Lee Ranaldo – Between the Tides and the Times
70. Crocodiles – Endless Flowers
69. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
68. Vision of Disorder – The Cursed Remain Cursed
67. Ummagma – Antigravity
66. Kreator – Phantom Anarchist
65. Twin Shadow – Confess
64. Overkill – The Electric Age
63. Die Antwoord – Ten$ion
62. Lamb of God – Resolution
61. Lower Dens – Nootropics
60. 2:54 – 2:54
59. Shadows Fall – Fire From the Sky
58. Redd Kross – Researching the Blues
57. Mumford & Sons – Babel
56. Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet on Sky
55. Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
54. The Casualties – Resistance
53. Band of Horses – Mirage Rock
52. Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal
51. Disappears – Pre Language
50. Linkin Park – Living Things
49. Crystal Castles – (III)
48. Arc In Round – Arc In Round
47. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
46. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
45. Passion Pit – Gossamer
44. Death Grips – The Money Store
43. Her Vanished Grace – Star-Crossed
42. The Raveonettes – Observator
41. Diiv – Oshin
40. Muse – The 2nd Law
39. The Rabid Whole – Refuge
38. Tame Impala – Lonerism
37. Meshuggah – Koloss
36. Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man
35. Chromatics – Kill For Love
34. Jack White – Blunderbuss
33. Soulfly – Enslaved
32. Saltillo – Monocyte
31. Beach house – Bloom
30. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
29. Bloody Knives – Blood
28. Deftones – Koi No Yokan
27. Whirr – Pipe Dreams
26. Spiritualized – Sweet heart Sweet Light
25. Off! – Off!
24. Drowner – Drowner
23. Δaimon – Flatliner
22. Ringo Deathstarr – Mauve
21. Fun. _ Some Nights
20. Silversun Pickups – Neck of the Woods
19. Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend
18. A Place to Bury Strangers – Worship
17. The Men – Open Your Heart
16. The Soft Moon – Zeros
15. Angels on Acid – Exile
14. Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror
13. Testament – Dark Roots of the Earth
12. Sigur Rós – Valtari
11. Cat Power – Sun
10. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
9. Killing Joke – MCMXII
8. Swans – The Seer
7. Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
6. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
5. Grimes – Visions
4. Legend – Fearless
3. Purity Ring – Shrines
2. School of Seven Bells – Ghostory
1. Fear Factory – The Industrialist

A list of favorite releases from my friends at PJSM Productions:

(About PJSM Productions: An audio/video production house based out of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. They recently started an ambitious project called “Dance For Syria,” a non-profit collaboration started to benefit the victims of the horrific atrocities currently being committed by the Assad regime in Syria. You can learn more and contribute here)

How To Destroy Angels – Keep It Together
Subliminal Noize – Happy End Of The World
Boris Brejcha – Der Mensch Wird Zur Maschine
K-bereit – Positive Sound, Negative Beat
Culprate – Nightmare’s in Reality

A list of favorites from my good friend Pyra Draculea:

(About Pyra: Pyra Draculea is maQLu. Aside from torturing synths and making bad anal strap-on puns in her song titles [*cough*Petroleum Jelly Oil Slick*cough*White Pearls of Wisdom*cough*] she also hosts the Vampire’s Ball on CiTR Radio in Vancouver [101.9FM in Vancouver, citr.ca, midnight to 4am Friday nights for industrial/experimental/noise/electro/goth]. More can found about Pyra at the following locations: Maqlu Web Site , Maqlu Facebook , Vampire’s Ball on CITR Facebook page )

Pyra Draculea’s top 10 of 2012:

In no particular order other than how they popped into my head, and not an exhaustive list for the same popped-into-my-head reason:

iVardensphere: I Dream In Noise: Remixes vol. 2

Killer collection of slicing and dicing versions of stuff mostly off the last album APOK.

maQLu: TailChaste

Nepotism, I know, but if you don’t vote yourself who will? Semi-improvisational weird electronica with goofy Beavis and Butthead-like names such as “Petroleum Jelly Oil Slick.” One of 5 albums of experimental/semi-improvisational whatever the Hell this is that I put out in October/November, this one gets my vote for plugging here because it makes me giggle the most.

NON: Back to Mono

The king is back! New ear-splitting stomach-churning shrieking noise from Boyd Rice. And on a label too [Mute as per usual], which kinda restores part of my faith in humanity or something like that.

Na-Hag: Fragments of Human

Groovy minimalist tribal electronic, blending elements of exotic-sounding hand drumming with noise and synth drones, sometimes more soundscape-y, sometimes more EBM-y, but all good stuff.

Ben Arp: Luminous

Chilled out, sweeping ambient-ish delicate electronica over glitchy loops. Love it.

Hex Rx: Serial Hex Addict

EP plus remixes, some very solid tracks that get stuck in my head [which is stubbornly resistant to earworms]. Fun stuff.

:wumpscut: Women and Satan First

Ditto. In some ways I like the remixes better than the official album cuts, so grab that special edition or whatever it’s called. An album that I liked at the first go-’round but that steadily grew on me and worked its magic.

The Rabid Whole: Refuge

I keep thinking this came out last year, but that’s because I was running/assisting on the mix session last April so that’s how long the songs have been in my head. Solid hooky electro rock.

Virtual Terrorist: Cyber Punks Unite

Grindy stompy aggro EBM goodness. And the spoken word samples are often hilarious too.

Faderhead: The World of Faderhead

I love me some Faderhead. Almost as much as he loves Swedish models and cocaine.

The set list is as follows:

• Red Online – On The Earth [Puppets In The Game] (2011)
• 9th Evolution – 9E INC [9E INC] (2013)
• Project Silence – Alone (Crushed By Your Lies) [424] (2012)
• WVM – Escapism [The End Is Only The Beginning] (2013)
• Youth A.D. – She Loves Her Suicide [Corporate Dogs] (2011)
• Deconbrio – Sledgehammer [Tainted Candy: A Tribute to 80's New Wave] (2013)
• The Gothsicles – Photograph (Featuring Dan Clark of The Dark Clan) [Spandex on the Sunset Strip: A Tribute to 80's Metal] (2012)
• Mickle Boulevard – Revenge [Tainted Candy: A Tribute to 80's New Wave] (2012)
• Duffy Laudick – That’s Good [Tainted Candy: A Tribute to 80's New Wave] (2012)
• Produkt – Wrap My Wings [Spandex on the Sunset Strip: A Tribute to 80's Metal] (2012)
• How To Destroy Angels – Keep It Together [An Omen EP_] (2012)
• Too Much Information – Electronically Yours [Electronically Yours] (2010)
• File Transfer Protocol – Subversion [Subversion Single] (2012)
• Christ Analogue – Cradle and Debase [In Radiant Decay: Reworked] (2012)
• dreDDup – Fire Up The Planet [Nautilus] (2012)
• Left Spine Down – Troubleshoot [Caution] (2011)
• Struchni – Machine Decay [Machine] (2012)

Thanks for listening!

> Play Episode #163 (.mp3)

Not many people can say that, but I really do love what I do. I get out of bed in the morning and it is actually exciting to go to work everyday.  It is such an amazing thing to be able to do something so rewarding, work for a great company, get compensated VERY well for it, get more benefits than I will ever use, work with such awesome people and customers, and achieve a retirement that will leave me very comfortable.

I consider myself lucky.

Beyond that, I have the indisputable best and most supportive wife in the world, two amazing kids, and a family and friend support system that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

But with all of this good, there comes a price. I have made massive sacrifices to achieve this level of success. I live 1500 miles away from my wife and kids, a dilemma that I have well documented over the past 6+ years, and I work extremely long and hard hours. If you take away the 3 weeks of vacation that I have already had this year, I have only had 17 days off since January 1, with over half of those occurring before May 1^st. It has been quite a year.

This cycle is not going to end soon. My company has just launched a major initiative to advance their market share and invest in their technology to be extremely competitive with their adversaries. And I have to say: it is about damn time. You see, I am proud of the company that I work for, and to hear people day in and day out say demeaning things about our products and service is disheartening. This isn’t to say that we don’t deserve it at times, but if they could only see how hard the employee base works to provide the service that we do, they might just want to back off a little bit. But this initiative means that my company is going to be asking more from me, if that was even possible, but it is. Which means even less spare time.

So where does this leave Razor Blade Dance Floor? In a word: Limbo.

I don’t have the time to spend pushing this podcast to the next level, nor do I have the energy to keep it at the place that it is at. Or once was. RBDF has fallen from it’s good graces and become an archival audio registry for some of the most awesome machine rock that anyone has ever heard. It was meant to be a service to advance the promotional means of those bands given that those artists did not have any traditional or non-traditional medium to exhibit their sounds. Radio wouldn’t touch them. Industrial podcasts were too focused on EBM and other dark electronic hybrids, and even the shows that would play them wouldn’t concentrate enough on them to give those bands a chance to grow.

Machine rock will always have a home on Razor Blade Dance Floor.

As I have mentioned before, I have had to abandon my writing for Outburn and Re:Gen because I just couldn’t find the time to contribute to them, and to be honest, my contributions to them were lackluster and half-hearted. They deserve better from me.

Razor Blade Dance Floor is not dead.

There will come a time and a place for the show to rise up again. It may be a sporadic entry every few months, or it may come in the form of 7 straight daily shows. Who knows how or when it will rise again, but rest assured that it will.

One final note: I have received dozens of complaints about the state of the show as it stands right now, its current state of publicity and the confusing nature of who is running things. Rest assured, this is my show. Always has been and always will be. You have spoken loudly about your dissatisfaction with guest hosts and alternative formatting of the show, and I pledge to you that this practice will discontinue today. I apologize to those of you that have felt that the quality of the show has suffered at the hands of others. I disagree because I think that it keeps the show from becoming one dimensional, but my e-mail inbox seems to say otherwise. You have spoken, I will listen.

I hope that you are all doing well. It’s been a tough year that has been marred by one personal tragedy after another, but your strength to persevere is a testament to how great of an individual that you are. And I applaud you for it.

Hang tight. The show will go on…!

I will do my best to respond to any thoughts that you would like to post below.

So let us begin.

My awareness of Jamie came about in pretty much the same way most of you knew of him: he was the guitarist for Acumen Nation. Jamie was much more than that, but that is probably what people on a global scale will take from his life. If you were in Chicago, you probably saw him as a much different person. Perhaps he was doing audio engineer work, working sound at House of Blues or Cubby Bear, or maybe doing Front of House at The Metro. Maybe he was someone you drank with at Neo, or perchance you were a part of his many circles of friends. Maybe you were even lucky enough to have him as a family member. However you knew him, it is important to realize he was a contributor to the music scene, and had ears like no other human I knew.

I met Jamie rather auspiciously, in Chicago on a cool May day. I was on the second date of my travels with The Midi Ghetto tour that featured 16volt, Chemlab and Left Spine Down. I had just arrived in Chicago, and hooked up with Sean Payne of Cyanotic. We drove over to Jamie’s house and picked him up. Jamie got in to the back seat of my car, shook my hand as Sean introduced us, and gave me a suspicious and studying look. He wore a heavy leather jacket, black cargo pants and combat boots, with a hat turned around backwards on his head. I found him to be slightly intimidating, but polite none-the-less. As we drove to the Darkroom to catch the Midi Ghetto show there, Jamie loosened up and began to give me the tour of the Chicago music scene, as it used to be back in the 80’s and 90’s. He pointed out where Wax Trax Records once dwelled, and showed me where he spent countless hours recording music, whether it be with his band Acumen Nation, or engineering for the seminal industrial band Ministry. He dropped a few anecdotal stories that conveyed the grittiness of the times, but he certainly gave you the impression that he had seen some things. Crazy things. He also revealed to me that evening that he was asked to participate in a Revolting Cocks reunion, something that would actually occur, but not for another year.

The rest of that evening was a blur, but there are 4 memories that I have that stand out about Jamie from that night. The first memory is of him joining 16volt on stage to sing along to “The Cut Collector.” The second is of Jamie attempting to stop Jared Louche of Chemlab from climbing up on the glass top bar that was positioned at the center of the club. Jamie tried to halt Jared, with great futility I must add, but what I witnessed was a man that at first was attempting to protect the bar’s assets, followed by acceptance of the unstoppable event, which in turn led to Jamie acting as a protector of Jared, shadowing his moves in hopes that he wouldn’t have to rescue Jared from falling through the fragile bar top. The third memory is when I had the opportunity to be a fly on the wall while Mike Peoples of 16volt and Jamie had a walk down memory lane together, reminiscing about the good old days, talking about times in Texas with Adam Grossman and Mike’s time when he played with Skrew. As a fan, this was a dream come true. The interaction probably lasted less than 10 minutes, but it was a memory that I will never forget: 2 old battle worn musicians comparing tales from the road. The final memory of Jamie from that evening was when we returned back to Sean Payne’s apartment later that night. Sean wanted me to interview him and Jamie about the making of “The Medication Generation,” an album that was still in post-production. I got to hear some of those mixes that night, and I got to hear stories of its making first hand from Sean and Jamie themselves. Again, memories that a self-professed music nerd will always cherish.

And about that interview that Sean persisted that we should do? It never happened. I was weary and road worn, and I faded long before those two even finished their nightly mixing activities. You should never have regrets in life, but I have many. Not doing that interview is certainly one of them.

Jamie and I didn’t become fast friends after that meeting, but he and I had mutual respect for one another, and we had dozens of common friends, so we eventually became part of a circle of like-minded individuals. He would message me every so often, one time telling me that if I skipped out on seeing Lords of Acid and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult in Dallas, TX, 2 years ago, that I would regret it. Yes, because of him, I did go to the show. Some times he would just send a friendly “What’s up?” or just click a “Like” on my Facebook page. We weren’t always in contact, but we knew enough about each other and were aware that we were monitoring each other’s moves.

Fast forward to April 2011. I flew up to Chicago to see the Wax Trax Retrospectacle show that was happening at The Metro. Jamie was participating in the reunion of The Revolting Cocks, something that he seemed to approach with youthful invigoration. My first night in Chicago found us going to Neo for a post “Fix!” Ministry movie viewing celebration, and to meet up and hang with old friends. Jamie Duffy joined us late in the evening, having just spent time rehearsing with The Revolting Cocks. The evening found it’s way with us all making our way to Sean Payne’s apartment, drinking until the wee hours of the morning, and discussing everything from Acumen Nation, The Revolting Cocks, DJ Acucrack, Ministry and whatever other topic we could cover that night. That evening (or early morning actually), I had bonded pretty well with Jamie. I was honest with him, telling him what I liked and didn’t like about Acumen Nation. I revealed that my favorite album was “Psycho The Rapist,” which genuinely disappointed Jamie. He expressed his dissatisfaction with that release, and told me why. It was an honest conversation, and I think Jamie really appreciated that I didn’t kiss his ass about anything.  We had become better friends.

The Retrospectacle show was awesome. Jamie played fantastic and it was truly memorable. We found ourselves at Neo again after his performance, and he said something to me that night that I will never forget. Jamie was fighting a cold or possibly a case of laryngitis, so he could only whisper. He took me outside of Neo to the smoking area and put his hand on my shoulder, drew me real close, and thanked me. He thanked me for what I was doing with Razor Blade Dance Floor. He said that he didn’t have much time to listen to it, but when he did, he enjoyed it. He thought that I was doing a good thing for the scene and told me to keep doing it, no matter what people told me.

That meant a lot to me and still does to this day. Having an artist acknowledge that you are actually trying to do something good for the scene is a very special thing to me. Jamie took the time to make that recognition, and that was one of the most important things I took from hanging with him out that weekend.

I only had the chance to hang out with Jamie one more time, and that was on the last night of the WTII Records Minifest II event that occurred in June of 2011. He was doing sound on that last night there at The Abbey. When I arrived that evening, Jamie greeted me with open arms, giving me a bear hug that I wasn’t expecting, and we treated each other like old friends. And that is the Jamie I get to remember: the one that was happy, accommodating and respectful, remembering true friendships and making you feel warm and welcome. We talked a few times throughout the night, usually about the work that he was either doing at Cubby Bear, or at some random street fair. He asked me about my life, how I was doing and how my family was. He cared.

Later that night, we made our way over to Neo, riding with Derek Newhall as he drove us to the club. Jamie had a few stories to tell, none of which I can remember, but they were all witty and insightful. He even expressed alarm and self disappointment at the fact that he forgot to ‘check-in’ on Foursquare while he was at The Abbey. This amused me for some reason. There was an incident when we finally arrived at the club where Derek attempted to find a parking spot near Neo, and Jamie insisted that he had the ability to park any car ANYWHERE. After unsuccessfully playing the game of ‘push the big cars with the little car,’ and eventually setting off one of the car alarms on the car Jamie was hammering against with Derek’s car, we took off, only to find ample parking a half block away. Derek, Jamie and I joined Brendan Seven from Defcon, Tony Smith from MindFluxFuneral, Eric Gottesman from Everything Goes Cold, and Steve Pompa of The Fury radio show, who were all already at Neo waiting on us. We drank, we laughed, and I sat and listened while the musicians rattled off dozens of great stories. It was an enjoyable end to a fun weekend. And I was glad to have spent that time with Jamie there at the bar in Neo.

I didn’t know that was going to be the last time I saw Jamie. I guess nobody really ever knows those sorts of things.

The last thing that Jamie said to me happened this past Saturday. I was having a really difficult time with my recording software, and Jamie, always the audio pro, quickly sent me a message, unsolicited, about what I should try, and where I should go from the point that I was at. The end result was him recommending some new software (“Reaper”) that I have yet to check out. You can bet that I have total faith and trust in Jamie’s opinion about all things audio, so I will be obtaining “Reaper” posthaste.

There is no need to ramble on any further. My point has been made. My encounters with Jamie were brief, but they were productive and rewarding. I’m glad to have had the short bursts of time with Jamie. I respected him and grew to love him like a brother.

There are certainly many more people out there that have far more stories and much deeper relationships with Jamie Duffy than I had, but my purpose here was not to create a sense that I was extra important in any fantasy musical world that only Jamie and I dwelled in. I just wanted to collect my thoughts together, fashion a respectable memory of a man that meant something to me, and commit it to some sort of semi-permanent record.  I don’t know what you gained from reading this. Perhaps nothing. Maybe you have something to share. Or maybe you will see that interactions with individuals can be important and memorable, no matter how mundane they seem at the time.

If you have read this far, it shows that you cared for Jamie Duffy enough to see something more about the man. Again, it’s not important why he is no longer with us. It’s important to understand that his time on Earth meant something.

My heart goes out to all those that Jamie touched, especially to those that were in his immediate family and extended families. Your pain over this loss is incomprehensible, and I wish that you didn’t have to endure it.

Now take a moment to reach out to a loved one. Call them, text them, go in to the next room and talk to them, send them an e-mail or a Facebook message. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it right now. Tell them how much you care for them. Tell them that you love them. Tell them how important they are to you. Do it right now. You don’t have an excuse. You never know if it will be your last chance.

I love all of you. Even you, Jamie Duffy. Rest in peace. I’ll see you again on the other side…

~Joe Graham

The show highlights the interview with Galen as well as a healthy selection of bands that Galen has been a part of in the past, present or future.

Enjoy the interview, as well as the following tracks:

• Desillusion – Discontinued [Blasphaesthetic] (2008)
• SMP – Corporate Lunch [Coda] (2010)
• Stayte – Slip Your Mind (Wind and Ghost Mix) [Walking In The Land of Wind and Ghost: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (2011)
• Stiff Valentine – Electric Dreams [America Bleeding] (2011)Left Spine Down – From Thirty To Zero [Caution] (2011)
• Unit: 187 – Threatened [Out For Blood] (2010)
• The Break Up – My Machine [Synthesis] (2011)
• 16volt – Slow Wreck [Skin: Metropolis Records Remastered Version] (2012)
• Stiff Valentine – Pit Boss [America Bleeding] (2011)
• Unit: 187 – The Wait [Out FOr Blood] (2010)
• Stayte – Coming Apart [The Two Sisters] (2010)
• SMP – Run (Deathproof Mix) [Shot] (2011)
• Left Spine Down – Overdriven [Caution] (2011)

> Play Episode #162 (.mp3)
Galen’s personal pages:

http://www.galenwaling.com/

http://www.facebook.com/galen.waling

http://www.myspace.com/galenwaling

The bands:

http://www.desillusion.net/

http://www.smphq.com/

http://www.secondbestcanadianbandever.com/

http://www.leftspinedown.com/

http://www.unit187.com

http://www.wearethebreakup.com/

http://www.16volt.com

http://www.stayte.com

Gear:

http://www.dwdrums.com/

http://www.sabian.com/

http://www.promark.com/

Labels:

http://www.metropolis-records.com/

http://www.wtiirecords.com/

In November of 2010, I conducted an interview with all 3 members of Society Burning the night before I suffered a catastrophic failure with my computer. At that time, and for months following, I thought that all was lost. Today, after using hard drive sector recovery software, I was finally able to retrieve the file that was the interview.

So after months of advertising the infamous interview, I can finally present to you the final version of the interview. The actual interview lasted almost 40 minutes longer, but a lot of it was the 4 of us trying to get on the same page, so I edited out all of the mayhem and gave you the most listenable version of this conversation.

I think that you will enjoy it. There is a lot of ground covered, and you will find that not only are Society Burning a great band, they are an even better group of individuals. They are talented artists, great human beings, fans of this music, and also wonderful friends.

I thank them for their time, as well as their patience in getting this interview up. It may be 18 months later, but the information that we cover is still very relevant.

I also thank you, the listeners of the show and fans of Society Burning for waiting this long for this “lost” interview to finally be unveiled. Your long wait for this moment has finally been rewarded.

Many people and topics were discussed on this show. Here is a list of some of the many shouts that are given:

• Nina at Fabryka Industrial Rock magazine
• Eric Gottesman (Everything Goes Cold)
• Steven Seibold (Hate Dept.)
• Eric Powell (16volt)
• Diatribe
• Sean Payne (Cyanotic)
• Sean Beavan
• Dave “Rave” Ogilvie
• The Birthday Massacre
• Chase (Re-Constriction Records)
• Nine Inch Nails
• Front 242
• Front Line Assembly
• Jamie Duffy (Acumen Nation)
• Wade Alin (Christ Analogue)
• Jason Bazinet (SMP)
• Purr Machine
• Collide
• Mats Monsen
• Studio Peligroso
• UCNX
• Produkt
• Duffy Laudick
• Renee (Aztalanturf Podcast)
• Power Forge Radio

and more!

Enjoy this really fun interview. And please forgive the quality issues. This was a pretty intense undertaking that didn’t come without it’s share of battle wounds

> Play Episode #161 (.mp3)
chromesj@yahoo.com

Skype: joseph_graham

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RazorBladeDanceFloor

http://societyburning.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_Burning

http://www.prescient-thought.com/

http://www.last.fm/music/Society+Burning

http://www.myspace.com/societyburning

http://www.facebook.com/Society.Burning

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Society+Burning

http://www.studiopeligroso.com/