01/21/02 - Entry #2 from Kurt Colfelt |
Summer 85,,,,OK here goes,,after a giant day of fighting at a show in San Pedro that ends with me getting punched out by the security fucks at a place called the dancing waters ,,,Abbatoir also played ,,,I quit Agent Steel ,,and started looking to put together my own band I already had an idea for a band called Holy Terror which is a slang term for a problem child,,,I also liked the religious overtones ,,, so I get Jack Schwartz`s # from some one I can`t remember ,,He had just been kicked out of Dark Angel ,,,,at the time my friend from Seattle Floyd Flanary was playing with Thrust ,a band from chicago who re-located to LA ,,,I called him about jamming ,, also Jack had a friend Mike Alvord ,,who used to be in a band called Black Rose or something like that who had been on Metal Massacre 1,,,,, I had most of the material already written for what would eventually became Terror and Submission ,,we played as a four piece and then realized if we wanted to do this right we should try and get a singer ,,so we ran an ad in The Recycler and after quite a few tries ran into Keith Deen ,,I actually had to go to his house and convince him to play with us ,,he was more of a Bon Scott,,Roger Daltry type guy ,,,so we go to my buddies little crummy 16 track studio and cut the only songs we had down,,and promptly sent this thing out all over the place ,,lots of magazines and labels ,,fanzines etc. To my suprise the magazines started putting our picture and reviews of the demo in ,,I personally always hated that demo but for some reason it got a certain amount of action ,,,A little while later we started getting fan mail and amongst the letters lo and behold was a letter from Mark Palmer from Music for Nations UK asking us if we wanted a record deal.
The first thing Jack does is get on the phone and strike a deal without talking to anybody and we receive a couple of contracts with Jack's name on them,,now we were already getting real fed up with Jack in general ,,but this was the last straw,,so I kicked him out of the band but he won`t leave which leads up to me socking him in the nose ,,something I regret but can`t change ,,,so we try out some different drummers one of which is Jordon Lieberman who now plays with Strung Out a Fat Wreckchords band ,,we didn`t find anyone so we run an ad in the Music Connection ,,,Joe Mitchell is one of the guys who answers I play him Slayer - Hell Awaits and tell him about speed metal. I`m not really sold but our singer Keith likes him,,,[good choice Keith]. We were already booked for studio time and six weeks after Joe joins we go in and begin work on Terror and Submission ,[this was not the original title I wanted to call it Holy Terror but the label guys wanted a title other than that ,,,
From the beginning, we realized we weren`t working with people who knew what Speed Metal was and had a very difficult time getting it to sound like we wanted it ,,,this pretty much brings us from the inception of the band in summer 85 to fall 86 ,,
So we practice away in our little rehearsal studio and start working on new material we played a few shows but LA was difficult at that time to get gigs as a speed band ,,,,,,,,,over the summer we get a manager and start talking to MFN about going to Europe to tour because of the fact that MFN was an English label all the records in the states were import only ,,,so we talk to Road Racer Records and they want the next album for the US but we make them take the first one also,,,, the deal with Road Racer is for 5 records ,,Starting after the 2nd one they would have us world wide,,,,in the fall of 87 we go on tour with DRI in euro ,,armed only with a little VW van and borrowing backline from DRI we make every show and things went really great ,,,,they`re one of my fave bands and really cool guys ,,,,when we get home we get ready to release the Terror and Submission in the states and get Casey McMackin to re-mix it ,,it sounds more like we wanted it but was inherently fucked because of the way it was recorded,,,,we were getting closer
The idea was to make an epic metal record so with all the improvements and a bunch of new songs we went into a better studio again with Casey ,,whom we`d had a chance to work with on the remix,,,,we tracked at The Music Grinder in LA a very expensive [for us anyway] automated studio and then continued tracking at Track Records .. by this time because of the need to work super long days and partying alot both speed and heroin started to rear their nasty heads ,,,along with weed, alcohol
and just about any other things we could get our grubby little hands on ,,,,we edited at West Beach Recorders ,Bad Religions studio and then took it back to The Music Grinder to mix ,,,the mix down was a long hard process that started costing more than we could afford so to make up for it the rates went down after 10 hours so we would work 18-20 hour days ,,by now the speed was every where all the time ,,,,,,,,,,I think we finished what was to become Mind Wars in something like 17 days ,,we never used any digital devices on it all the echoes and reverb was tape delay or analog. We really wanted to get the old 70`s type metal sound to it ,, this didn't go over very well with the label, they wanted what every one else was doing ,,,hard panned right and left brittle processed guitars ,,no bass and really loud drums. My attitude was fuck em, we`re doing this for a reason leave us alone ,,,this was the beginning of a bitter disagreement between myself the band and RR records, in fact if you look on the back of Mind Wars there is a bunch of letters all strung together this was an abreviation for NO THANKS TO ROADRACER RECORDS followed by the first initial of every one who worked there kind of a punk thing to do but that`s how we felt ,,,,,,during the summer of 88 we went on tour thru America with DRI and Kreator ,,,by this time I was a full blown drug addict in fact I was having shit Fed Xed to me out on the road things were bad for me but I was having fun,,,,,,,,anyway we came home and bought a bus so we didn`t have to rent a vehicle and headed out on the road again ,,, well. the bus blew out the tranny south of San Fran and we towed it to get fixed ,,,not having the $$ to have the shop fix it
we sent the band plus one roady to play a couple of shows while me and Robert stayed behind to try and fix the bus ,,,,,,,,,,,,,this was an ill fated decision. we got the bus fixed almost a week later ,,we had to change the tranny twice! this thing weighed 900 pounds ,,,,it was a real 40 foot bus ,,,,FUCK!!! By then they were in Arizona or New Mex or something so we headed out and tryed to catch them ,,,getting as far as barstow the oil cover for the steering came loose,,,,stopped, fixed it, headed out again and got to some miserable place and the power steering drive sheared off FUCK!!!,,,,by now they were in Kansas FUCK!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but wait it gets worse,,,,,,,,,,so we head for home and as we come to the Grapevine which is like a pass coming into LA the throttle is stuck wide open we shut it off and dick around with it, it turns out to be a stuck injector but we didn`t know that at the time ,,,not being able to fix it we drive up and over the pass with the throttle stuck. So we come to the top of the pass and start heading down we did almost 70 on the way up and we were flying on the way down at one point I looked at terrified Robert and yelled we`re all gonna die !!!!!! I really think he believed me,,,,about half way down there were no more brakes so we came grinding to a halt in a cloud of smoke with all the air brakes on emergency lock-up,,,,,we got a ride back home waited for a while then went back to retrieve the bus ,,,air brakes wont unlock until they cool down ,,,by now the band is in New York or some thing I get so mad I kick out the bus door window ,,it was like Kung Fu or something ,,,,,,,,,so the band comes back from the mini tour that they did without me and we get a few dream shows. WE GET TO OPEN FOR FUCKING MOTORHEAD FOR 4 SHOWS !!!! including the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium ,,,,apparently because of the constant touring a booking agency was getting us shows,,,hell yeah !
Shortly after X-mas 88 we get ready to go on tour with Exodus, and Nuclear Assault in Europe things are going along pretty well until another ill fated night in Germany [ Nuremberg I believe } apparently our drunken singer in an interview early on
in the tour had said that we had signed to RR records and the person from the magazine called MFN to verify this ,,,,Holy Shit hits the fan ,,,,,,,,because we`re on an MFN sponsored tour with one of the big wigs as the tour manager. So we get informed that we`re kicked off the tour and our last show would be Zurich the following night this was the night before the biggest show of the tour to be broadcast across Europe so I`m on the phone home trying to get shit straightened out ,,,
Supposedly we have contracts, all they can do is prevent us from using the backline ,,,,,the next day in Zurich I`m on the phone some more but things are looking really bad ,,I tell the guys to remain on the bus and don`t leave,,, I get back on the phone ,,I told those guys make them physically remove you until I get back ,,I come back out and all our gear is in a pile in the rain in fucking Swiztzerland ,FUCK!! and all those guys are standing there ,,and some one tells me they said to get off or else ,,,,,fuckin pussies ..........so the the little pug faced English bastard Jim ,,the roadmanager from the record label offers us a ride in the equipment van to the Swiss airport but our tickets are for 3 weeks later out of England,,,,,fuckin wanker ,,,,,,OK here we are at the airport with all our shit ,,,me being the fight n fuck that I am, decide we`re going to push our way back on the tour so we rent a van. Missed that killer show with the radio broadcast and headed for Augsberg Germany and try to get a hold of Kreator to borrow some gear ,,we start drinking early and driving ,,,,we pull up to the show ,,you should of seen the look on Jim`s face ,,,we were going to stand up there and get paid cause we have a contract ,,,,,,,fuck these people. So I`m told we don`t have a contract and I get back on the phone ,,finally our manager comes clean and tells me yes he said we were on RR records and no he hadn't signed the faxed contracts because he'd never had a problem before ,,,,,asshole,,,,,,,,,, So like I was saying we had been drinking all day and our roady Tim is the guy they make the shirt ,,,"Instant Asshole just add alcohol" ,, about ,,,he spits on Jim ,,,that's my boy !!!,,,,,,Jim goes into a rage and I chase him into the club as the replacement band is starting,,,,,we`re on the side of the stage and Jim picks up a
piece of wood and tells me to get the fuck out ,,,,I tell him you shouldn`t mess with someone who has nothing to lose,,and punch him in the nose ,,right then this big German security dude runs at me with his metal flashlight ,,,,,,I tell him that he tried to hit me with the board so he runs after Jim then Jim tells him he`s the tour manager so he runs after me ,,,so I
tell him ,,,yeah but he tried to hit me with that piece of wood ,,,,,so he turns to Jim and I run away,,,,all I can think of is a bunch of Gestapo guys coming to take me to jail ,,,,,,,,,,out the door we go and jump in the van ,,,We go to some Pizza place and Mike informs everyone that he doesn`t like violence and is quitting the band ,,,,,,,I personally thought it was pretty great ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but Mike telephones his mom and gets a ticket home calls a cab and that was that ..we spent the better part of 2 weeks in Munich living in the van,,,,,Keith got really sick so we rented a room for a couple of nights,,,,,,,,,We tell our roady Tim to stop wandering off and leaving us to wait for him in the van ,,,we warn him we'll
leave him he wanders off again we wait ,,we leave and Tim spends a few days at the US consulate calling the states trying to find out where we are,,,,,,,,,,finally we open a credit card Platinum Visa in my girlfriends name charge $7000 worth of airline tickets and head for home ,,,,,,,,,,,that was the longest 17 hours of my life that trip back,,,,,,,,,When we get back I go on the Super Bender Drug Rage ,,,,,,,,,,MORE TO COME |