<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Division</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.division-usa.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.division-usa.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 20:30:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Plus ça change, plus c&#8217;est la même chose&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/17/plus-ca-change-plus-cest-la-meme-chose/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=plus-ca-change-plus-cest-la-meme-chose</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/17/plus-ca-change-plus-cest-la-meme-chose/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 20:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mblevins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Band Members]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=975</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;Or, for the non-French speaking among us, &#8220;The more things change, the more things stay the same.&#8221; Aside from being used in a somewhat obscure Rush song, this phrase has always stuck with me because it seems that you can almost always find some way it&#8217;s true, no matter where you are in life. My [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8230;Or, for the non-French speaking among us, &#8220;The more things change, the more things stay the same.&#8221; Aside from being used in a somewhat obscure <a href="http://www.rush.com">Rush</a> song, this phrase has always stuck with me because it seems that you can almost always find some way it&#8217;s true, no matter where you are in life.</p>
<p>My friends in high school used to tell me that this is a &#8220;bummer of a way to look at life, dude&#8221;, but I&#8217;ve never thought so. I&#8217;ve always interpreted it as a positive &#8211; no matter what upheaval you go through, at the end of the day, you&#8217;ll go back to the things that anchor you to who you are in life.</p>
<p>As usual, this is pretty relevant to Division. In this case, <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/2012/03/29/what-was-once-old-is-new-again/">the return of Scott</a> as our vocalist was the catalyst for a conversation that, quite frankly, surprised the crap out of me. The culmination of that conversation is as big of a surprise to me as it will be to some of you:</p>
<p>Division would like to announce the return of Dan Plunkett as our bassist. Dan was originally with us from 1997 through 2005, and he appears on the &#8220;Ascension to Eternity&#8221; and &#8220;Trinity&#8221; CDs. He left for health reasons, and as those issues are behind him now, we&#8217;re glad to have him back. We should be debuting the new band configuration at shows this summer, and have some new music downloadable for you, as well.</p>
<p>Of course, this just adds to the conundrum we&#8217;ve been facing since Scott&#8217;s return &#8211; who actually <b>is</b> the &#8220;new guy&#8221;. This is more important than you think, since the &#8220;new guy&#8221; is the one that traditionally gets all the verbal harassment at rehearsal&#8230;</p>
<p>I guess I&#8217;ll just have to harass them all!</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/17/plus-ca-change-plus-cest-la-meme-chose/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/17/plus-ca-change-plus-cest-la-meme-chose/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>So where did all the professionalism go?</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/09/so-where-did-all-the-professionalism-go/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=so-where-did-all-the-professionalism-go</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/09/so-where-did-all-the-professionalism-go/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 19:13:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mblevins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=970</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As most of you know, Division has been putting a lot of time and effort into auditioning people lately, since the departure of Nick and Tim back in February. While the auditions have been successful in filling both roles &#8211; more on that next week &#8211; we learned something sort of unsavory in the process: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As most of you know, Division has been putting a lot of time and effort into auditioning people lately, since the departure of <a href="http://www.nickkelly.com/">Nick</a> and <a href="http://nyarlathotim.blogspot.com/">Tim</a> back in February. While the auditions have been successful in filling both roles &#8211; more on that next week &#8211; we learned something sort of unsavory in the process:</p>
<p>Musicians suck more than ever as people.</p>
<p>Seriously. I know we do this out of passion (after all, it&#8217;s not like there&#8217;s any money in it), but apparently courtesy and even something resembling a sense of obligation don&#8217;t exist in this community anymore. Nearly two-thirds of the people we sent audition materials to simply stopped answering emails, without a word. All you need is a simple &#8220;Hey, I checked it out, and it&#8217;s not working for me.&#8221; (Yes, I know this is actually eliminating people I don&#8217;t want to work with, but bear with me.) That&#8217;s it &#8211; it&#8217;s not like there has to be some drama-filled showdown.</p>
<p>What was even worse were the many people who actually scheduled auditions and simply didn&#8217;t show up. No contact, no email saying &#8220;hey, I had something come up, I can&#8217;t make it&#8221;, no text message saying anything, just a no-show.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been doing this for a long time. (Cue the &#8220;old&#8221; jokes in 3&#8230;2&#8230;1) At the risk of sounding like I want the young whippersnappers to get off my lawn, people &#8211; hell, even musicians &#8211; used to behave better than this. We&#8217;ve had our share of no-shows over the years as we&#8217;ve replaced people, but this time MOST of the people who scheduled auditions didn&#8217;t bow out after taking a swing at a couple of songs, they didn&#8217;t cancel at the last second, they just went to the trouble of working out an audition time with me and then simply didn&#8217;t show up. It was much worse this time around than when we were auditioning people when Tim joined 2 years ago.</p>
<p>Is this the new norm? I hope not. However, my conclusions from discussions with friends in other bands are pretty discouraging&#8230;</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/09/so-where-did-all-the-professionalism-go/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/09/so-where-did-all-the-professionalism-go/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Division sends out our heartfelt condolences to our brothers in metal, Into Eternity</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/06/division-sends-out-our-heartfelt-condolences-to-our-brothers-in-metal-into-eternity/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=division-sends-out-our-heartfelt-condolences-to-our-brothers-in-metal-into-eternity</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/06/division-sends-out-our-heartfelt-condolences-to-our-brothers-in-metal-into-eternity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2012 18:45:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sstewart</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=967</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the passing of Rob Doherty From Bravewords.com: &#8220;Former INTO ETERNITY guitarist and &#8220;ambassador of Saskatchewan metal&#8221; Rob Doherty has suddenly passed. He played on the band&#8217;s 2004 album Buried In Oblivion. Into Eternity mainman Tim Roth says that &#8220;he was a special part of our band. Our condolences go out to all of Rob&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On the passing of Rob Doherty</p>
<p>From Bravewords.com:<br />
&#8220;Former INTO ETERNITY guitarist and &#8220;ambassador of Saskatchewan metal&#8221; Rob Doherty has suddenly passed. He played on the band&#8217;s 2004 album Buried In Oblivion. Into Eternity mainman Tim Roth says that &#8220;he was a special part of our band. Our condolences go out to all of Rob&#8217;s family and friends, and to all those, who Rob&#8217;s music touched.&#8221;</p>
<p><a title="Death of Rob Doherty @ Bravewords.com" href="http://www.bravewords.com/news/182997">http://www.bravewords.com/news/182997</a></p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/06/division-sends-out-our-heartfelt-condolences-to-our-brothers-in-metal-into-eternity/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/05/06/division-sends-out-our-heartfelt-condolences-to-our-brothers-in-metal-into-eternity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Was Once Old Is New Again</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/03/29/what-was-once-old-is-new-again/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=what-was-once-old-is-new-again</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/03/29/what-was-once-old-is-new-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:59:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mblevins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Band Members]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[singing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=923</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It occurred to me when discussing the 30th (!) anniversary of an album that had a huge influence on me last week &#8211; namely, this one: Some things in metal just never die. No matter how far metal expands its palette, no matter how many influences are brought to bear, at the end of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It occurred to me when discussing the 30th (!) anniversary of an album that had a huge influence on me last week &#8211; namely, this one:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2y_Cq76r9s"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.solarnavigator.net/music/music_images/Iron_Maiden_The_Number_Of_The_Beast_music_album_cover.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="260" /></a></p>
<p>Some things in metal just never die. No matter how far metal expands its palette, no matter how many influences are brought to bear, at the end of the day, everything comes home again: If you can&#8217;t enjoy a Maiden concert, you just flat-out don&#8217;t like metal. Commonality <strong>and</strong> diversity both have a role to play in holding a group together.</p>
<p>Now, what does all this have to do with Division, you ask? Well, as many of you know, vocalist <a href="http://www.nickkelly.com">Nick Kelly</a> left us in February after over ten years of fronting the band. We had plenty of time to consider replacements, and brought in people for auditions. By the end of that process, it was pretty clear that the cliché in the title was once again becoming a truism.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/Metaltim/January%202012/l-14.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>So, without any further ado, meet the new singer &#8211; same as the old singer. Division would like to welcome original vocalist Scott Stewart back into the fold. Scott was the vocalist on our first two albums, <em>Paradise Lost</em> and <em>Ascension to Eternity</em>, and had remained a good friend of the band even after his departute. With his return to the DMV from Raleigh last year, he was in the right place at the right time to rejoin us. We will, of course, continue to perform material from all four albums, and just as Nick&#8217;s voice gave a new twist to some of Scott&#8217;s songs, Scott&#8217;s classic-metal-with-an-edge voice makes Nick&#8217;s material shine differently, too. You can listen to Scott here:</p>
<p><center><iframe src="http://www.reverbnation.com/widget_code/html_widget/artist_268016?widget_id=50&amp;posted_by=artist_268016&amp;pwc[design]=default&amp;pwc[background_color]=%23333333&amp;pwc[included_songs]=undefined&amp;pwc[song_ids]=12730416&amp;pwc[photo]=1%2C0&amp;pwc[size]=undefined" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="400" height="104"></iframe></center></p>
<p>Now, if we could just find a bassist&#8230;</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/03/29/what-was-once-old-is-new-again/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/03/29/what-was-once-old-is-new-again/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tim&#8217;s &#8220;real&#8221; goodbye post &#8211; &#8220;A Year-and-a-Half In the Life of Division&#8221;&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/27/tims-real-goodbye-post-a-year-and-a-half-in-the-life-of-division/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tims-real-goodbye-post-a-year-and-a-half-in-the-life-of-division</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/27/tims-real-goodbye-post-a-year-and-a-half-in-the-life-of-division/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:51:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Regan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Band Members]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Control Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Live Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rehearsing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=916</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I auditioned for Division a couple years ago, they requested I learn four songs from the latest album, Control Issues. I, of course, already owned the album since I had picked it up at the CD release show. To my surprise, they sent me the sheet music to the whole album, as well as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tim-farewell-show.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-920" title="Tim @ Division's Farewell Show" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tim-farewell-show.jpg" alt="The Amazing Tim Regan" width="419" height="280" /></a>When I auditioned for Division a couple years ago, they requested I learn four songs from the latest album, Control Issues. I, of course, already owned the album since I had picked it up at the CD release show. To my surprise, they sent me the sheet music to the whole album, as well as several songs from Trinity and Ascension to Eternity. “Fools!” I thought to myself. I had the chance to learn how to play some of my favorite Division songs even if I didn&#8217;t get the gig.</p>
<p>So I did. Before learning a single audition track, I worked on some songs I considered to be must-learns: “Eleventh Hour,” “Children of the Stone,” and “The New Elite.” (Alas, there was no tab for “Free” or “Departed”.) Of course, I learned the Control Issues tracks, too: “Hunt,” “Short Attention Span Society,” “Gemini,” and “The Collector.” Listening to the album, I thought these songs would be a piece of cake, since they sounded so organic. Guess what? They&#8217;re pretty frickin&#8217; hard. I probably shouldn&#8217;t have saved them for the end. Next time you hear “The Collector,” go ahead and try to count it out. Good luck. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.</p>
<p>Division works hard. Very hard. When you&#8217;re watching them from the audience, as I had done since 1998, you know that they make it look effortless. There&#8217;s a reason they can melt faces and do it so tightly: tireless practicing. I had to kick it into high gear to learn these songs.</p>
<p>At my audition, we played through the audition songs. I only screwed up each song in multiple places. But why don&#8217;t you try playing some of Ron CK&#8217;s bass lines some time? The guy was nuts! I was barely hanging on. But apparently I didn&#8217;t do a poorly as I thought since at no point did anyone say, “That was a complete disaster. Thanks for wasting our time.” But in a (brief) moment of silence, I did let on to the fact that I had learned a handful of more Division songs. They obliged me and we jammed on the aforementioned tunes. It was awesome. And I thought it would be the last time I&#8217;d see them.</p>
<p>Much to my surprise, I soon received a message from Division. They wanted me to come back for a second audition. Great, I got the chance to ruin all the songs in front of them another time. Before I had a chance to realize what was going on, I got received yet another email: I got the gig. Apparently, Ron&#8217;s bass lines had injured the hands of everyone else who auditioned. Holy crap.</p>
<p>A few months, gigs, and equipment upgrades later, and I was crushing souls alongside Division, hopefully to the same degree I had witnessed Division doing in the past. We leveled Jaxx, we lit up the State Theater, we razed Jammin&#8217; Java, we crushed Ball&#8217;s Bluff. We played practically all of Control Issues onstage, as well as “Eleventh Hour,” “Masquerade,” “The Prophecy (Greed),” “No World Order,” “Children of the Stone,” “Departed,” “Eraser,” “Remembrance,” “Paradise Lost,” and a slew of covers. I do regret not being able to play “Society&#8217;s Child” and “Free,” two songs I remember from way back in the day, with the guys.</p>
<p>Playing bass in Division is quite challenging. Mike and Dave are fantastic guitarists with frighteningly quick right hands (I wonder why). James pounds the double bass like a Seal Team 6 surgical strike. As the sonic bridge between the three of them, you can&#8217;t half-ass the bass lines. Mike will call you out and Dave will endlessly mock you if you alternate pick where you should be downpicking. (Whenever Dave does that, you can just call him short.) Nick had plenty of time between verses to come over to me and detune the bass while I play, or hit my pedal, or some other sort of shenanigans. Odin help you if you were behind the beat. I tried playing way in front of the beat, too. They didn&#8217;t like that, either. They&#8217;re never satisfied. Needless to say, it was practically a battleground to play well at all times. My bass playing definitely improved just by being in the room with them.</p>
<p>Many gigs, towns, venues, songs, rehearsals, great times, height jokes, age jokes, and cheap beers (for which I was also mocked) later, and my tenure in this great band is at an end. It is time to pack up my bass, my amp, and my Valnøtt pedal, and head off into the frozen north – Maryland – where I will continue to bring the aural destruction with my long-time bands Burning Shadows and Recently Vacated Graves. I&#8217;ll miss Division and all the great times that came with it. I hope to share the stage with these guys again. I look forward to seeing Division from the other side of the stage and starting vicious rumors during the shows. I&#8217;ve had a taste of the new material that&#8217;s coming. All I can say is that I hope you enjoy your face while you have it, because it&#8217;s going to be melted off.</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/27/tims-real-goodbye-post-a-year-and-a-half-in-the-life-of-division/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/27/tims-real-goodbye-post-a-year-and-a-half-in-the-life-of-division/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The end&#8230;or the beginning?</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/20/the-end-or-the-beginning/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-end-or-the-beginning</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/20/the-end-or-the-beginning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mblevins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Band Members]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So, a few people have asked me to weigh in with my thoughts after a rousing end to two of members&#8217; Division careers. While they won&#8217;t be as poignant as Nick&#8217;s or as, uh, revealing as Tim&#8217;s, there&#8217;s something that really needs to be said: YOU&#8217;RE BOTH FIRED! Now that that&#8217;s over with&#8230; Nick was [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So, a few people have asked me to weigh in with my thoughts after a rousing end to two of members&#8217; Division careers. While they won&#8217;t be as poignant as <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/13/my-last-week-in-division/">Nick&#8217;s</a> or as, uh, revealing as <a href="http://nyarlathotim.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-i-really-quit-division.html">Tim&#8217;s</a>, there&#8217;s something that really needs to be said:</p>
<p>
<h2>YOU&#8217;RE BOTH FIRED!</h2>
</p>
<p>Now that that&#8217;s over with&#8230;</p>
<p>Nick was the bridge for me between the old Division (Crooks, Ripple, Plunkett) and the new Division (Goetz, Evans, players to be named later). Nick lived through the road trips where all five of us shared one room (with four different lineups!), recording sessions that went way too long, and the frustrations of being bounced around by labels, promoters, clubs, touring bands, and member changes. We took a lot of flack for hiring Nick at first, because it was a big change in sound. I&#8217;ve never regretted it. I&#8217;m proud of our work together, and I don&#8217;t just mean his taste in rehearsal space decor.</p>
<p>Tim&#8217;s time in the band is a little harder to quantify, since he never made it to any recordings. He opened his Division career at O&#8217;Shaugnessy&#8217;s, at a show that everyone but us forgot to promote &#8211; thus showing that the bar really wasn&#8217;t any higher than it is for his <a href="http://burningshadows.com/">other</a> <a href="http://zombiemetal.com/">projects</a>. He got to play a lot of cool shows, though, which kind of makes up for the amount of time he put in trying to learn Ron Kralik&#8217;s impossible bass parts. His dedication, humor, and love of <a href="http://nyarlathotim.blogspot.com/2011/02/english-dropped-all-cool-letters.html">dead language characters</a> will be missed.</p>
<p>The one thing they have in common? They both surprised me when they asked to audition, since I thought of Tim as a guitarist and Nick as a bassist. Both proved me wrong. It was a pleasure to have them both go out in front of a crowd that loves metal for the sake of metal, since love and passion for the music is what it&#8217;s all about. I&#8217;ll miss firing them both after every show.</p>
<p>As for the future? Stay tuned &#8211; Division is far from being done. There&#8217;s new music waiting in the wings, and I&#8217;ll be blogging about our search for a new voice and new bottom end. (Especially since <b>someone</b> has to maintain the &#038;*^&#038;%#@ website &#8211; thanks, Tim!)</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/20/the-end-or-the-beginning/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/20/the-end-or-the-beginning/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My Last Week in Division</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/13/my-last-week-in-division/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=my-last-week-in-division</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/13/my-last-week-in-division/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>divisionnick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=894</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, I&#8217;d be lying if I didn&#8217;t say this was a strange post to write. I&#8217;ve been a performing musician for over 20 years, and I&#8217;ve spent the last decade as the frontman for Division. I won&#8217;t add regret, pity, wishful thinking or any of that crap into my update, because I chose to step [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well, I&#8217;d be lying if I didn&#8217;t say this was a strange post to write. I&#8217;ve been a performing musician for over 20 years, and I&#8217;ve spent the last decade as the frontman for Division. I won&#8217;t add regret, pity, wishful thinking or any of that crap into my update, because I chose to step away. If you need to know why, call or email me. I welcome that discussion, but it&#8217;s not for everyone, so I won&#8217;t blast it out on this site.</p>
<div id="attachment_896" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ny31.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-896" title="ny3" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ny31-300x161.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="161" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Division in New York 2004</p></div>
<p>What do I take from my journey with the band? Plenty. First of all, I would never be the vocalist I am today if it wasn&#8217;t for my time in Division. That&#8217;s obvious to anyone who has been a part of my life for as long as I&#8217;ve been in the band.  I always looked at Division as a metal band version of the Weakest Link. No one ever wanted to be that guy. If a fan ever said, &#8220;I love those guys but their vocalist sucks&#8221;, it really hit a nerve. I think every member of the band; past and current, feels exactly the same way.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>What else?  Obviously, the relationships that come with laying your heart on the line with other musicians. When I started, the line up included <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ej.ripple">E.J. &#8220;Juice&#8221; Ripple</a> on drums, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/danfishboy">Dan Plunkett</a> on bass, Matt Crooks on guitar, and a rehearsal space full of adult-themed material. Over time, each of those guys stepped down. I was joined by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=588238671">James Goetz</a> on drums, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noodlesatf">Dave &#8220;Noodles&#8221; Evans</a> on guitar, and Ron CK &#8220;Little Rock&#8221; Cummings-Kralik on bass, and later <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tregan1">Tim Regan</a> filling in his 5-string shoes.</p>
<div id="attachment_897" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Ron-and-Nick3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-897" title="Ron and Nick3" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Ron-and-Nick3-300x227.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="227" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Nick Kelly and Ron Cummings-Kralick 2006 Jaxx Nightclub</p></div>
<p>We played in Chicago, DC, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, you-f&#8217;ing-name-it-and-we-played-it. These shows provided incredible opportunities to learn about one another, to argue, to come back to terms, and to push each other as musicians every step of the way.</p>
<p>When I was first offered the gig, I pretty much provided everyone I knew the same disclaimer. I liked everyone in the band. I had to get better if we were going to be successful. And, there was one guy that I knew I would either love like a brother, or wind up in a parking lot brawl with.  That cat is guitarist Mike Blevins, the only original member of Division, and a mofo who pushed me to be the best every step of the way.  Mike and I are a lot alike, and that should pretty much terrify anyone reading this.  I know I drove him crazy more than a handful of times, but that only made our good times together that much better. He&#8217;s the rock on which Division stands, and I can&#8217;t wait to see where the band goes from here.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a laundry list of people outside of the band I would love to thank. Tops on the list is my blushing bride, <a href="http://www.sybir.com">Stacia Kelly</a>, for her constant support. Whether it came down to buying new equipment, being gone for four days, or attempting some crazy P.R. stunt, she always replied with a smile and a roll of her eyes, and gave me her blessing. She&#8217;s a real trooper, and I hope I can reward her with kindness for our many nights apart. Who else? How bout my other band mates in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justwannaplay">Just Wanna Play</a> ?</p>
<div id="attachment_898" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nK_Mike_2012.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-898" title="nK_Mike_2012" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nK_Mike_2012-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Nick &amp; Mike 2012</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>JWP is a group of musicians gathering to play the best tunes in pop music from the Eagles and Bowie all the way to Maroon 5. Basically, our mission is to put women on the dance floor. All of my bandmates have had to put up with me applying what I&#8217;ve learned to their vocals. Some call it a blessing.  If it&#8217;s just me being a jerk, I apologize! Who else? How bout all the bands we&#8217;ve met along the way&#8230; Symphony X, Jon Oliva&#8217;s Pain, Accrasicauda, Metal Church, Black Label Society, Therion, Hammerfall, Evergrey, Nevermore, Testament, and more.  (If you saw Division with another band, please comment!)</p>
<p>I also want to thank Jay Nedry from Jaxx Nightclub for opening the doors to my metal career. Jaxx was one of the first places I ever played, and one of the last.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Walking away isn&#8217;t easy. I never imagined it would be. That autumn Wednesday morning phone call between Mike and me wasn&#8217;t an easy conversation, but it was necessary. Division was an incredible band before I was blessed to join its roster. It will continue to lead the pack among local thrashers long after I&#8217;m gone. I&#8217;m thankful for my time and my experience with every one of the guys and girls who ever graced the stage with me. What does the future hold? Well, that&#8217;s another story for another time.  Until then, throw the horns in the air, raise the &#8220;Fist of the Metal Child&#8221;, and support your scene.</p>
<p>Join Division and me on Saturday, February 18th, for my final show with the band.</p>
<p>One love,</p>
<p>nK</p>
<p><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IMG_23571.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-900" title="IMG_2357" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IMG_23571-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/13/my-last-week-in-division/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2012/02/13/my-last-week-in-division/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Nick Kelly &amp; Tim Regan Farewell Tour &#8211; Part 1 of 5</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/12/08/the-nick-kelly-tim-regan-farewell-tour-part-1-of-5/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-nick-kelly-tim-regan-farewell-tour-part-1-of-5</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/12/08/the-nick-kelly-tim-regan-farewell-tour-part-1-of-5/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:31:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>divisionnick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Band Members]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Control Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Live Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[singing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2011]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bassist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[concert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Division]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Division USA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Farewell Tour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nick kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[songs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim Regan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vocals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Vocalist/lyricist Nick Kelly is ending his journey with Division (after 11 plus years). Bassist Tim Regan is doing the same (after 11-ish months). The duo have only 5 more shows together with one of the most storied local metal bands in DC history.  As part of their agreement, Nick and Tim have agreed to interview [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Vocalist/lyricist Nick Kelly is ending his journey with Division (after 11 plus years). Bassist Tim Regan is doing the same (after 11-ish months). The duo have only 5 more shows together with one of the most storied local metal bands in DC history.  As part of their agreement, Nick and Tim have agreed to interview one another during their final Act.</p>
<p>The first stop on the Farewell Tour is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/336179976397305/">December 9th, as Division joins Chopper Trike Rebels and The Maiden Project at Memories</a> in Waldorf, MD. This is the last show Division will perform in 2011. It&#8217;s a Friday night, and it&#8217;s cheap.  <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/shows/">Hit the band up for tickets</a> if you plan to attend.</p>
<p>Each show comes with its own interview question between Nick and Tim. Here&#8217;s the first in the farewell series.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Nick_BW_ZO2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-883" title="Nick_BW_ZO2" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Nick_BW_ZO2-300x202.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" /></a>nK: What are some of your favorite guitar solos from the Division catalog? Are there solos you sing-a-long with when they come on?</p>
<p>TR: Masquerade (<a href="http://www.division-usa.com/discography/trinity-2004/">from 2004&#8242;s Trinity</a>) tops the list. The solo switches off from one guitarist to the next, then they join together.</p>
<p>nK: I&#8217;d put that near the top, too.  I always want to sing along with Mike&#8217;s solo, and throw in my ad lib line &#8220;The veil I hide behind&#8221; in the middle of it.  Maybe I will during these last few shows.</p>
<p>nK: Do you have a second favorite?</p>
<p>TR: The same CD brought &#8220;Greed&#8221; aka &#8220;The Prophecy&#8221;. That solo fit the same formula. One soloist, then the other, than a harmony solo.  I like that one also.</p>
<p>nK: I like that one, too.  Once the double-bass kicks in, it&#8217;s bang your head time.  Got a third?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/TimR.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-884" title="TimR" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/TimR-235x300.jpg" alt="" width="235" height="300" /></a>TR: I&#8217;ll have to think about that.</p>
<p>nK: Here are a couple that come to mind.  Dave Evans plays with a very unique style. He loves King&#8217;s X, maybe even more than I do.  So, two easy examples are his solos in <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/discography/control-issues-2009/soulmate/">Soulmate</a> and in <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/discography/control-issues-2009/short-attention-span-society/">Short Attention Span Society</a>. Mike&#8217;s solo in <a href="http://www.division-usa.com/discography/control-issues-2009/perfect-little-slave/">Perfect Little Slave</a> is another guilty pleasure.</p>
<p>Divisionaries can hear all these songs at the first stop of the Farewell Tour.  Join as at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/336179976397305/">Memories</a> to close out 2011, and keep your ears peeled for the final Division shows with Nick and Tim.</p>
<p>See you from the stage!</p>
<p>nK</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2011/12/08/the-nick-kelly-tim-regan-farewell-tour-part-1-of-5/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/12/08/the-nick-kelly-tim-regan-farewell-tour-part-1-of-5/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>He knows that changes aren&#8217;t permanent&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/11/01/he-knows-that-changes-arent-permanent/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=he-knows-that-changes-arent-permanent</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/11/01/he-knows-that-changes-arent-permanent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:49:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mblevins</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.division-usa.com/?p=871</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230;but change is. (Thank you, Mr. Peart) It is with heavy hearts that we announce the departure of two of our brothers in metal, veteran vocalist Nick Kelly and bassist Tim Regan. Nick has been the in-your-face voice of Division for over 10 years since being tabbed to fill the shoes of original vocalist Scott [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8230;but change is. (Thank you, Mr. Peart)</p>
<p>It is with heavy hearts that we announce the departure of two of our brothers in metal, veteran vocalist Nick Kelly and bassist Tim Regan. Nick has been the in-your-face voice of Division for over 10 years since being tabbed to fill the shoes of original vocalist Scott Stewart.  Nick is featured on two of Division&#8217;s most successful CD&#8217;s to date, 2004&#8242;s Trinity and more recently, 2010&#8242;s Control Issues.  Nick&#8217;s powerful voice and dramatic flair for lyric writing aligned perfectly with Division&#8217;s goal to explore a more violent, sadistic side of metal. Tim Regan&#8217;s time with the band was short but sweet having just joined Division a little more than a year ago, replacing über-bassist Ron Kralik.  Nick and Tim will finish out all the shows we have booked through The Rockin&#8217; Massacre II festival in Essex, MD on March 3rd 2012.  Division will continue to bring our style of metal to the masses &#8211; just with some new faces involved &#8211; with new releases in the works for 2012. Interested vocalists and bassists may contact the band to schedule an audition through Facebook (www.facebook.com/divisionusa) or by email at info@division-usa.com.</p>
<div id="attachment_876" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 297px"><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/n1454087859_116939_8636.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-876" title="n1454087859_116939_8636" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/n1454087859_116939_8636-287x300.jpg" alt="" width="287" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Nick Kelly - Photo by www.shadowflood.com</p></div>
<div id="attachment_877" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 209px"><a href="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/215904_194086767295858_171964019508133_420587_5231775_n.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-877" title="215904_194086767295858_171964019508133_420587_5231775_n" src="http://www.division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/215904_194086767295858_171964019508133_420587_5231775_n-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tim Regan - Photo by Jamal Ahmed Photography</p></div>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2011/11/01/he-knows-that-changes-arent-permanent/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/11/01/he-knows-that-changes-arent-permanent/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Local Band Spotlight: Cassandra Syndrome</title>
		<link>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/08/15/local-band-spotlight-cassandra-syndrome/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=local-band-spotlight-cassandra-syndrome</link>
		<comments>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/08/15/local-band-spotlight-cassandra-syndrome/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>divisionnick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Live Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recording]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[singing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2011]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cassandra Syndrome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[concert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Division]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[front row TV show]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Irene Jericho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nick kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Satire X]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://division-usa.com/main/?p=841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Twenty years ago, the term metalhead meant a guy with long hair, usually wearing a jean jacket with a back patch, plenty of chains, torn jeans and white sneakers.  Over the years, that scene has evolved (or splintered, depending on your perspective) into a dozen or more sub-genres.  That old school metalhead might now be [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Twenty years ago, the term metalhead meant a guy with long hair, usually wearing a jean jacket with a back patch, plenty of chains, torn jeans and white sneakers.  Over the years, that scene has evolved (or splintered, depending on your perspective) into a dozen or more sub-genres.  That old school metalhead might now be identified with Bay-area thrash.  Others may be into death, doom, black, power, progressive, or even operatic metal.</p>
<p>Hold the phone, Nick.  Did you just say operatic metal?</p>
<p>I did.  And I might not be saying it if not for sharing a stage with one of the East Coast’s best operatic metal bands; Cassandra Syndrome.  Here’s an image: take deep, electronic-backed rhythm section, add in pounding, crunchy guitars.  Good, so far?  Now add an operatic soprano songbird to the mix.  Operatic Metal.</p>
<p>I told you so.</p>
<p><a href="http://division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/44903_1591778587710_1033231652_1716938_3592943_n.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-845" title="44903_1591778587710_1033231652_1716938_3592943_n" src="http://division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/44903_1591778587710_1033231652_1716938_3592943_n-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></p>
<p>I was fortunate enough to meet Cassandra Syndrome when they performed together with my band, Division, in Richmond, VA.  They’re as humble as they are talented.  Lead singer Irene Jericho took some time out of her busy schedule to accept an interview with me, even as their second CD, the interesting and inspired “Satire X” is released to the public.</p>
<p>Nick: Irene, thanks first for taking the time to answer some questions and to meet our readers.  Let me sort of set the stage, if you will, and ask you to describe the theme behind “Satire X”.</p>
<p>IJ: Thanks for having me!  Satire X is our second full-length release and we’re really excited about it. Our material tends to focus on socio-political commentary.  The lyrical theme within Satire X is about consumption; specifically consumption to the point of ignoring everything else that’s going on.  That’s actually where the name of the album comes from.  Juvenal was a first century satirist.  In his tenth Satire (Satire X), he talks about ‘panem et circensis,’ which means ‘bread and circuses’ or ‘bread and games.’  He was talking about the propensity of the political leaders of his time to satisfy the shallow needs of a people (fun and food) rather than to expend the effort to govern well.  We definitely feel like it’s happening here in the United States.  Everyone’s so caught up with the next gadget, reality TV show or toy that they’re not really paying attention to what’s happening to our country.  The ‘circus’ concept came through on the album art—we tried to create a dark carnival, a circus of the damned, for the album to live in.</p>
<p>nK: Interested readers may already have hit your site, <a href="http://cassandrasyndrome.com/" target="_blank">http://cassandrasyndrome.com</a> .  The first audio single is “The Magus.”  Can you tell us a little bit about that song?</p>
<p>IJ:  “The Magus” is actually part of our Tarot series.  The song is based off the second card of the Tarot Major Arcana, the Magician or Magus. In our quest to create a song for each of the Major Arcana, a big goal is to make the cards relatable to our current lives. In the song The Magus, the Magician is portrayed in his role as the power behind the throne, the puller of strings. In this case, the stockbrokers, bankers and power mongers that contributed to the global financial crisis.  In live performances, The Magus gets a huge reaction&#8211;it has rapidly become one of our fan base&#8217;s favorites. It was definitely on the top four list for singles off the album. Our other consideration for a single was songs that make an impact&#8211;a song that combines listenability with message. In light of the continuing strain on countries around the world and the citizens that rely on them, we felt The Magus was most relevant to our world right now.</p>
<p>nK: Despite “The Magus” being the first download, it’s not the first video from the CD.  Can you tell us a little bit about “Shackles”?  Was this your first video shoot, and what was it like trying to bring your idea to life on film?</p>
<p>IJ:  “Shackles” is our most direct musical attack on consumption out of the album.  Other songs tackle related topics, but “Shackles” shoots straight at the heart of the issue.  One of my favorite lines from the song is “Where has all our outrage been?/Bread and Circus lured us in.”  That encapsulation of the theme of Satire X within one song was part of why we chose it for the music video.</p>
<p>The other reason is that it was the only one I had a visual concept for.  I don’t normally think in terms of video—it’s a new medium for me.  When I’m writing a song, I think in words, then in sounds, then sometimes in stationary artwork.  For “Shackles,” for some reason, I had this very clear vision of a camera following a chain across the floor, leading the viewer in to see people chained to their possessions and obsessions.</p>
<p>We were really lucky to have some resources in-house to call on for the making of the video.  Jen Tonon, our rhythm guitarist, runs a production and indie film company called More Brains Media.  She and her counterpart, Steve Grainger, helped me flesh out the idea then bring it to life.  I’m really happy with the result.  I think the video definitely gets our point across.</p>
<p>nK: You’re the primary lyricist for the band.  Did you determine the entire theme for the CD, or did the writing process evolve over time?  I’ve seen band members come in and say “play this”, and I’ve seen others say “here’s an idea, what do you think?”.  Which is more accurate with Cassandra Syndrome?</p>
<p>IJ: The writing process is a group effort for us.  I write lyrics/rhyming verse pretty frequently.  The best ones go into a stack of lyrics to pull from.  When we sit down to start work on a new song, one of the instrumentalists will introduce a riff or beat and everyone will jump on and add to it.  As the musical sequence develops, I pull out that stack of lyrics and see what will fit.  The lyrics do generally shift a bit from poetry to song, too.  The rest of the band helps me decide which lines stay and which ones get cut.  Sometimes we rephrase certain sections to make the words fit the music better.  Since I write lyrics as poetry first, I have a tendency toward word choices that work well when spoken but can be very difficult to sing.  So there’s generally some reshaping to get to the core message of a section without using five-consonant words <img src='http://www.division-usa.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>nK: Has promoting this disc differed from promoting your original release? (The band’s first CD was 2009’s “Of Patriots and Tyrants”.) This one seems much more closely in step with your chemistry as a band.</p>
<p>IJ: Definitely.  I’m still very proud of ‘Patriots,’ but it was our first go-round with releasing a full-length album.  There was a lot of run-up to the actual release date of Satire X.  We allowed press outlets advance copies of the album in early June, so we had reviews to share with people fairly early on.  More Brains Media did a series of interviews with the band and our production team and released a little behind-the-scenes mini documentary about the making of the album.  We released a music video, as we discussed earlier.  We hosted a live streaming listening party online—we played all the tracks and took questions from viewers about the songs, the band, the album…everything.  It was a great way to get in touch with our supporters who don’t live close enough to get to a live show.  We’ve also offered a few different options for purchase of the album.   There’s a download-only, a physical CD and a special edition release.  That release, called the Juvenal, is a special tshirt, the CD and the first three Tarot cards from our Tarot series.  There are only 100 of those, and that’s all there will ever be of that particular printing.  The combination of all those different activities has had a huge impact on people’s awareness of us.</p>
<p>nK:  One new step you took to promote the band was to appear on local TV.  I loved seeing you and Jay (Jericho, percussion) on the Front Row TV Show with host David Byrne.  Will you recap that experience?</p>
<p>IJ: That was so much fun!  David and Phil Hartgis (producer) were wonderful to work with.  They made us feel very comfortable, so talking about Cassandra Syndrome and Satire X was easy.  I think I did give David a run for his money in terms of ‘most awesome hair,’ though J  I definitely recommend their show to any other local musicians interested in appearing on the airwaves around DC.  They’re very professional but also quite easygoing and fun to interact with.</p>
<p><a href="http://division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/198800_10150204002754741_22480614740_8913303_2739619_n.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-846" title="198800_10150204002754741_22480614740_8913303_2739619_n" src="http://division-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/198800_10150204002754741_22480614740_8913303_2739619_n-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></p>
<p>nK: I admit that I singled you out a bit in the description of the band, because without your voice, it might be placed in a different genre.  Will you take a moment to introduce the band and the culture of Cassandra Syndrome?</p>
<p>IJ: We’re a five piece band.  The other person who gets as much mention as me when it comes to reviews and interviews is our lead guitarist, Chris Kackley.  He’s an amazing lead player, and I’m not saying that just because he’s in my band.  I still remember the shocked silence after he came to audition for us back in the old days.  He’s amazing.  It was hard to believe someone as talented as he was wanted to join a weird metal band like ours!  His lead lines really help carry the drama and dynamics of our work.  On a personal level, he’s the most un-stereotypical-lead-<wbr>guitarist I’ve ever met.  He’s kind and funny and has none of the flashy attitude sometimes associated with that particular role within a band.  </wbr></p>
<p>The guitars are rounded out by Jen Tonon.  Jen comes from a punk background and lends this wonderfully trashy/thrashy sound to the rhythm lines.  She’s also a trap set drummer.  That background of percussion really comes through in her guitar playing—you could set a metronome to her riffs.  Jen’s an amazingly multifaceted artist.  Along with the film company and playing guitar for us, she’s also scored a couple musicals and the soundtracks for some video games.  Because of that unusual background, she thinks about music differently than the rest of us.  When we’re stuck on a section while writing a song, Jen’s often the one that finds the way out.</p>
<p>Bass is carried by Joe Cariola.  Joe and I go way back—we went to high school together and have been friends for about 15 years now.  He and I both joined the military out of high school.  When I was forming Cassandra Syndrome, he was  just getting out of the Army.  The timing was perfect, so I drafted him.  He writes wonderfully groovy bass lines.  When you find yourself nodding your head along to a song, that’s probably because of Joe.</p>
<p>Our percussionist tends to get us a lot of attention, too.  Jay doesn’t play a trap set, although you’d never know it to listen to a track.  He plays a really cool percussion instrument called a Zendrum.  A Zendrum is a pressure-sensitive midi-controller.  It’s worn like a guitar, but looks like a giant piece of purple pizza with Oreo’s on it.  Each of the “Oreo’s” is a pressure-sensitive pad.  When he strikes them with his hands or fingers, the Zendrum triggers a sound.  Depending on how hard Jay hits, the sound is greater or lesser in volume.  He also uses a few foot pedals.  The end result is that we have a hand drummer who sounds like he’s playing a really amazing trap set.  It’s a great instrument—they’re rare, so we definitely get a lot of questions about the Zen.</p>
<p>nK: The release of “Satire X” marks a big release for Cassandra Syndrome.  Tell us a bit about what our readers should expect to see as the resulting tour/interview/appearances.</p>
<p>IJ: Thus far the buzz has been great and a lot of doors have been opening to us—it’s very exciting.  We have some great shows coming up—our official CD Release Party is August 20<sup>th</sup> at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, MD.  The locals will probably be familiar with that place, but for those you further afield, it’s Baltimore’s biggest, best rock club.  To be invited to play there for our release party is an incredible honor.  We’re also playing at the Sidebar and Sinix in Baltimore over the coming months.  We’ll be once again joining Division on a bill in March for the Rockin’ Massacre.  There are some other really exciting shows in the works, but since they’re not finalized yet I can’t really talk about them.  As soon as things are signed, though, you’ll see them on our web page.  You can expect to see interviews in a few different publications (Metal Maidens, Seeker of the Winterheart, Rock &amp; Metal World, etc) plus more reviews, of course.  The live streaming listening party was such a neat experience that we’re also kicking around the idea of more ‘live, online’ activities.  So definitely stay tuned for that.</p>
<p>I want to thank Irene and all of Cassandra Syndrome as they promote “Satire X”.  Give it a listen.  You may find you like something you have never considered before.  More information on Cassandra Syndrome is available at <a href="http://cassandrasyndrome.com/" target="_blank">http://cassandrasyndrome.com</a>.</p>
<p class="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.division-usa.com/2011/08/15/local-band-spotlight-cassandra-syndrome/" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Share on Facebook</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.division-usa.com/2011/08/15/local-band-spotlight-cassandra-syndrome/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

