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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 3: The Return

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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 3: The Return

It may have been two-plus months since concerts small and large were shut down across the world. But the return of live music this past Memorial Day weekend may as well have been two years.

Go ahead. Let out a big sigh of relief, toss your horns into the sky and bang your head. Sunday’s 5th annual Memorial Day Metalfest at Fitzgerald’s, normally a national calling of bands that this time was a condensed version featuring 10 San Antonio artists playing to 25 percent capacity, was literally music to the ears of those in attendance.

But it also may have provided more questions regarding the scene.

Through the tireless efforts of Fitzgerald’s co-owners Sharon and Karen Perkins, bar staff and FocusStar Media promoter Matt Louderback, live metal reigned supreme once again. A night after hosting cover band Black Molly, the venue’s indoor and outdoor metalfest marked the official return of original-artist music. And while preparations included booking bands, dealing with possible cancellations, figuring how much staff to have on hand and abiding by city and governor-mandated rules for reopening, a tornado warning and flood watches lasting into the morning threw additional curveballs into the equation for good measure four bands into the night.

As such, ATM’s coverage was temporarily stopped and had every intention of resuming on a second trip to the bar only to be halted by partial closures of highways due to cars being stalled. So with apologies to headliners The Crowned plus Even In Death, Requiem Rust, Decimate, Wrathtongue and 2019 Wacken Metal Battle Regional winners Vernon Of Persia, coverage was limited to a 35-photo slideshow and videos here and below of Pigweed, All Stories End, Hijo De Puta and openers Dioxis.

Although the number of those wearing protective masks could be counted on one hand out of roughly 40 people for the first half of the evening that swelled to what was supposed to be an indoor capacity of 77 and “unlimited” outdoor patronage by the time Pigweed played inside during the storm, the evening was as successful as could be expected considering the Covid-19 era in which live music finds itself. Interestingly enough, Pigweed, a group of seven members, played with only four before a fifth joined his mates on backup vocals for final tune “Fake For Now” (see ATM coverage below). One of the missing members, it was acknowledged to ATM, was absent due to his concerns with contracting the virus.

So where do we go from here?

Fitzgerald’s has more events scheduled including Blackened (Metallica tribute act) this Saturday plus a $7 gathering Saturday, June 13 featuring Bridge 13, Saving Jackie, My Madness and We Inertia.

Other venues, such as Bonds 007 Rock Bar on 450 Soledad St., are slowly working their way back while trying to meet all regulations to a tee. Rush tribute act Exit Stage Left is scheduled for Friday, June 19; a package headlined by Austin act Bury The Rod with Athanatos, I Am Heir from McAllen, Nevallum and Astray Thru Eternity on Saturday, June 20; and Pigweed’s return Saturday, July 18 with Waking The Sleeper, Saving Jackie, Ammo For My Arsenal, Meridian, Dose Makes The Poison and Lonestar Massacre (see ATM’s Concert Listings for details).

“For our capacity, we can have 57 people in the bar,” says Bonds co-owner Dirce Eguia, whose two-story establishment offered a trial opening downstairs only last weekend but has not hosted a live act since the shutdown. “When you space the tables and chairs 6 feet apart and can have no more than six at a table, it only leaves chairs for 54 people. Everyone is supposed to have a seat, so we can't even get to 57. When they raise the limit to 50 or even 100 percent, we will be in the same boat. Until this changes, we cannot increase. There are so many rules. It requires extra staff. At a time when we want to keep expenses low, we are having to add for extra labor and disinfecting supplies.”

And what about national tours that are supposed to hit the Alamo City this year? Some have been postponed. Others such as As I Lay Dying with Whitechapel plus Ministry with KMFDM and Front Line Assembly have been rescheduled for early 2021.

International acts Krokus and Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper, both of which were scheduled to play the second installment of the Tierra Sagrada festival Sept. 19 at Sunken Garden Theater, have canceled their tours due to traveling restrictions and risks. Replacement acts are being sought, including the challenge of finding a worthy headliner to replace Krokus for a fest that already includes American artists Dokken, Riot V, Lita Ford and local openers Jessikill, according to Din Productions promoter Alfred Mejia, to avoid canceling outright.

Krokus’ appearance was to be part of its farewell tour, which begs the question: what’s going to happen with the older bands’ concerts? Although KISS played its San Antonio farewell last Sept. 8 at the AT&T Center, area fans are supposed to have another opportunity to see them Oct. 1 at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin. But if cancellations and postponements for KISS’ scheduled 3-year trek and other acts last into the new year, might we have already seen these older artists for the final time? Same with Judas Priest, which was originally planning on kicking off its 50th anniversary tour here at the 2020 River City Rockfest until the festival was axed for good last year, pre-Coronavirus. But now, even The Priest’s scheduled Oct. 6 gig at Freeman Coliseum is in jeopardy.

The concert scene may have returned last week. But it’s still more of a crawl than a sprint, let alone a walk. As with most things, time will tell whether the comeback continues to grow. Or whether a spike in Covid-19 cases, particularly during the fall and Texas “winter,” forces a second, perhaps larger, shutdown from live music.

“All we can do,” says Syrus guitarist John Castilleja, “is stay safe and see what way the wind blows.”

In case you missed them: Part 1: The Shutdown; Part 2: The Anticipation

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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 2: The anticipation

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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 2: The anticipation

The future is unclear regarding large-scale concerts. Perhaps meet-and-greets will come with a bottle of hand sanitizer or a mask with the artist's logo, if they continue to happen at all. Either way, Covid-19 is determined to be here to stay. So how do humans in the music scene combat the Coronavirus?

Do we rush back to freedom in public with no concern for the health of others? Do we take things gradually or ignore the opportunity to return altogether until it's deemed 100 percent safe to do so? Do metalheads practice the defiance and rebelliousness our music stands for in times of adversity and make their own rules?

The turning point toward abnormal in this country, arguably, came March 11 when Utah Jazz All-Star forward Rudy Gobert tested positive, causing that night's game at the Oklahoma City Thunder to be canceled moments before tip-off. The NBA shut down its season later that evening, and it was revealed Gobert touched several reporter microphones in jest earlier that week at one of the team's pressers. The remaining sports leagues were knocked down like dominoes, and the concert scene soon followed.

Since the state finals of the Wacken Metal Battle on March 14 in Austin that saw Austin band Hanna Barakat defeat five artists to advance to the national finals May 9 in Los Angeles, live music and bar socializing has disappeared and is only now beginning to crawl again. The national final and Wacken festival in Germany as a whole were no exception, denying not only Hanna Barakat the possible opportunity to perform at metal’s largest annual festival before roughly 80,000 but causing a ripple effect in general.

"After the Wacken Battle, we took a few weeks off to see how the virus closures would pan out," says Valkyrie vocalist Joe Gregory, whose band advanced out of the Feb. 8 regionals at Fitzgerald's, came up short against Hanna Barakat at the state competition, and last week released single "Submissive Decay" and has a video shoot scheduled for it at the end of June. "With that momentum, we’re going to keep writing new music."

Valkyrie was also supposed to play in Chicago on May 15. Drummer Rich Gomez, who like bassist Albert Kelly plies most of his musical trade with Under No One but was recruited to round out Valkyrie's lineup with Gregory and original guitarist Scott Stine, acknowledges he's still having a hard time adjusting.

"I've been out of retirement for over six years playing with Under No One," Gomez says. "Rehearsals every weekend was pretty much a normal routine. We didn’t schedule too many live shows, but the option was always there. (Valkyrie) would get together almost every Tuesday for rehearsal, (but) now going on three-plus months, everything has stopped! It’s just hard to grasp. My day job has been on a 24-hour around-the-clock schedule. It was a big adjustment for a while, (I) had to rearrange my studio office since my wife is working from home, so my studio became her office. I am pretty much stuck in the garage with a makeshift workspace. It took me almost a month after my last live show to get a kit set up where I could at least get some practice in whenever I got a break from work."

In the 2 1/2 months since the Wacken Metal Battle, everyone has been itching to get back. But while the number of Covid-19 cases slightly increases daily in Bexar County and surrounding areas, the realization that the job force and economy's reopening must get underway sooner than later has tested not only our checking and savings accounts but also our mental fortitude. Easter saw church services being conducted virtually. Now, with this weekend's Memorial Day being the second major holiday since the outbreak and the first to mark the road to recovery, albeit at 25 percent capacity in bars and 50 percent in restaurants, the eagerness in many is bursting at the seams.

"At first it was partying and doing acoustic videos online, but as stuff got worse, it became quite clear -- now is the time to get shit done," says the namesake, singer and guitarist of Jason Kane & The Jive. "We've been writing new songs like crazy and will start releasing singles and new videos for our page of livestream videos and live shows for however long this lasts and continue to do so even after this passes. This definitely put a kabosh on (our) upcoming tour to Chicago and tours planned throughout the year and our CD release for our third album Soggy Noggin, but we're still pushing the new album online like crazy. The rock stops for no one."

One of the hardest working artists in San Antonio since prior to 2008, The Heroine has had to weather the shutdown and the challenges the virus has brought forth while trying to transition to a return to playing live without knowing when that will be.

"One of our band members works in close proximity to people who are susceptible to spread this disease, and we have those in the band that are expecting, so we have pretty much shut everything down until we feel a little bit safer to be around each other," The Heroine bassist Wes "Guhlie" Vargulish says. "Our last show was on Feb 20. This has been the longest period of time that we have gone without playing a show, or rehearsing, for that matter. We’ve already had to cancel tours in June (and) July, and August is very questionable as it’s scheduled for the West Coast. In that regard, it’s been a little demoralizing. So for a band like ours that thrives on playing locally and touring, it’s been a real test of our resolve as a band. The positive side of all this is that it’s gotten everyone the ability to spend more time with their family. A lot of people don’t realize what the wives and family go through when dealing with a band. There’s a lot of frustration involved because they have to deal with the missed date nights, birthdays etc. I think once we get on the other side of this shutdown, I feel most people will appreciate live music a little more. Honestly, I think this magnifies the importance of live music; it’s such a cathartic thing."

A cautious, arguably realistic, approach is palpable in some.

"We will need to have a door person to count and sanitize hands of each person upon entrance per city's recommendations," says Dirce Eguia, co-owner of Bonds 007 Rock Bar downtown with her husband John Eguia. "The venue may open when we get to 50 percent, but only for local shows. At only 25 percent, we could only have 30 people plus our staff and bands, which is not enough to break even. Tribute shows will be canceled and not booked until we are at 100 percent. Who knows when that will be? We applied and received the payroll and disaster loans from the government. It will only be enough to pay my managers and 2 months rent. Our managers are still working -- cleaning, painting. The scary part is the reopen. With the fear that everyone has regarding the virus, it will be slow getting people out again. I would guess it may be 9 months after opening, just to get back to normal. Not sure how we will survive, but if anyone can do it, it will be Bonds. We have great regular customers that will eventually come back. Bands are really wanting to play. We are cancelling them as we go along, just hoping to finally say, 'Let's do the show.' "

Some emphasize the optimistic side of the spectrum.

"I’m very thankful to still be able to teach guitar via Skype and eliminate driving," says Aeternal Requiem singer, guitarist and band founder Austin Zettner, whose group recently released a documentary of its travels to Finland to record Rise with producer Anssi Kippo. "The extra time at home allows me to focus like never before. I hurt for the venues and gigging musicians whose livelihoods have been more affected than mine. I’m hoping that we come out of this soon, more hungry and inspired for great music than before!"

Bobby Jarzombek, drummer for Fates Warning and Sebastian Bach, says an eight-week North American tour with Bach had already been rescheduled for October and November before its original start date of March 13 had been axed.

"Sebastian's agent put it together that quickly," says Jarzombek, who played a local gig last night with Robert Demel at Max's Roadhouse in Spring Branch. "Instead of 33 shows, it's 31 shows, so we recovered just about all the dates if it still happens in October. So that's still the 'if' thing. I started on the Fates Warning record in late November after I got home from the Sebastian tour that we had previously done in 2019. I was able to finish that record and get a decent sized chunk of money for it, you know, at least something to where I'm not being killed right now like some people are -- (the ones that are) playing live music exclusively or didn't have anything else. But still, I'm not in a great position by any means."

Fates Warning singer and fellow San Antonio native Ray Alder has lived in Spain, one of the hardest-hit nations, for a few years. He slept in a recording studio for two weeks while completing vocals for the group's upcoming, as yet untitled, album.

"From what he tells me, they put restrictions on people in a vehicle," Jarzombek says of Alder's nation of residence. "You could have two people in a vehicle at one time if one of them was a child and the person riding, but not, like, two adults. Same with people walking down the street. If a mother was walking a child, you could do that. Or a father. But other than that, it had to be one person walking down the street to the store."

Even the old saying, or Cinderella song, "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" applies for some.

"I really do miss all the live music. I had no idea it was that much a part of my life," says Wall Of Soul guitarist and The Edge Rock Radio concert photographer Allan Linkous. "No rehearsal, no shows. Had to cancel a few. Luckily, Wall Of Soul doesn't rely on that small bit of money to survive. We got signed to an independent label at the end of last year. I haven't really taken many photos of anything lately. Wall Of Soul has a show on June 13 in Houston. Let's see if that happens."

Covid-19 has also brought out numerous tales of touching moments in the midst of surviving a pandemic, particularly among frontline workers. Even those such instances have affected the metal community. Tim "Ripper" Owens, vocalist of K.K.’s Priest, A New Revenge, Charred Walls Of The Damned, The Three Tremors, Spirits Of Fire and formerly of Judas Priest, Iced Earth and Yngwie Malmsteen who last played here two years ago with Dio Disciples in Live Oak, saw girlfriend and paramedic Leilani Williams-LeMonier leave their Ohio home for the nation's Covid-19 epicenter of New York. She returned after 42 days, and Owens' cell-phone video capturing the emotional reaction of her three children was featured on "ABC World News Tonight with David Muir." Ironically, Muir referred to the unidentified Owens as “the voice” behind that clip (the ABC News version can be seen on Owens’ Twitter account).

Although each passing day brings a date with the unknown for everyone, the metal scene is doing all it can to prepare, even brace for, what it’s diving into. Because it has to try. For the community. For our sanity. For the survival of those directly impacted economically. And so tonight at Fitzgerald's, the Memorial Day Metalfest scheduled for 5 p.m. will mark the unofficial original live-music start to when phrases such as "social distancing," "the new normal" and "virtual reality" will be kicked in the ass and sent straight to the abyss.

"The bands that survived this storm have leaned to be more resilient, more creative and more accessible to their fans," says Sean Nations, vocalist for Metalfest artist Even In Death. "Fans have peeked behind the curtain and hopefully come to know the band better. The strong and focused will find ways to overcome!”

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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 1: The shutdown

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Covid-19 & 'The Heavy Metal Capital' Part 1: The shutdown

In the mid-1960s, Simon & Garfunkel hit No. 1 with the thought-provoking “The Sound of Silence.” In 2015, Disturbed likely couldn’t have imagined how big of a hit its version would become. Fast forward five years, and one thing is abundantly clear: the song has taken on an unprecedented literal interpretation regarding today's music scene.

For all the tragic events that disrupted concert gatherings in the past – the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 during the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival and the Manchester, England, bombing that same year at the end of an Ariana Grande concert that killed 22 – no one could foresee an invisible threat that reportedly emanated from a laboratory or seafood market in China shutting down life in general, let alone concerts, for nearly 2½ months.

"When this started happening, I thought it was going to blow over really quick," renowned San Antonio drummer Bobby Jarzombek tells Alamo True Metal.

That 2 1/2-month milestone aims to embark on another path of history, the road to recovery, this weekend in "The Heavy Metal Capital" and surrounding areas. A sprinkling of cover-band shows and assorted gatherings will take place tonight prior to a condensed version of the fifth annual Memorial Day Metalfest at 5 p.m. Sunday at Fitzgerald's, featuring at least 10 local bands, with capacity limited to 25 percent at all bars.

But before that occurs, it's important to understand how Coronavirus, aka the Covid-19 pandemic, brought us to this point. More importantly, to examine how the scene has been affected since mid-March. It has resulted in phrases added to our vocabulary such as “social distancing,” “shelter-in-place,” “essential businesses” and “the new normal.” Covid-19 has reportedly accounted for 96,662 deaths in the United States. It has required the majority of the population to work from home, wear masks when in public and encouraged everyone to stay 6 feet apart from one another. It has put a deathgrip, literally and figuratively, on lives and livelihoods. It has also given musicians a chance to reconnect with families more than they could when constantly touring and allowed them to explore other facets of their lives or finally work on procrastinated projects.

Those changes have occurred locally.

"This is the longest I’ve gone with no live shows and touring in 20-plus years," The Heroine vocalist Lynnwood King says. "It’s been very frustrating when it comes to my professional career, but as for my personal life, it’s been awesome bonding with my wife and children with all this extra time."

And nationally.

"Our first tour dates were supposed to be Memorial Day. May 22-23 we're supposed to be in Ohio and then Detroit the following night, " Keel singer Ron Keel, who now fronts his Southern rock and metal outfit Ron Keel Band, says. "Those dates aren't going to happen. The Canadian tour's been canceled. I'm still waiting to find out if there's going to be a Sturgis Bike Rally this year, 'cause that's one of the big ones for us. We had six nights lined up at three different venues. We'll wait and see and hope for the best. It's starting to hit home for me. I feel worse about my band and crew. I miss those guys. I count on myself to put food on their tables. I miss high-fiving people in the front row, but we'll weather the storm."

And globally.

Testament, Exodus and Death Angel toured Europe earlier this year and experienced several illnesses within their camps after returning to the States in March. Death Angel drummer Will Carroll spent 12 days in a coma before recovering. Jarzombek, the drummer for Fates Warning and former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, counts Testament bassist and Covid-infected Steve DiGiorgio among his friends. But he says the virus hit closer to home when his 59-year-old brother Ralph tested positive.

"He had it early on," Jarzombek says. "He had it for a couple of days and kept going to work because he thought it was just aches and pains. When they diagnosed it, they didn't even say he had Covid-19. They said he had an influenza-like illness. He went through the whole cycle of it for six weeks or whatever. He's still testing positive for it as of a couple of weeks ago. He said it was terrible, but he recovered from it."

While Americans have been furloughed or laid off and filing for unemployment as they struggle to survive economically, the area's metal scene has had its own share of difficulties. Musicians, venues, promoters and of course the fans have been affected in their own right.

"Hardships are plentiful for music venues," Sharon Perkins, co-owner of Fitzgerald's with her sister Karen Perkins, says as she prepares to host cover band Black Molly tonight and the Memorial Day Metalfest tomorrow. "Rent, utilities, and personal debts continue to accrue, but no funds are coming in to pay for them. Keeping acts who are already scheduled to perform as well as rescheduling and getting new shows on the books is proving to be problematic. Our livelihood depends on having at or near capacity live music shows often. Tons of people are scared, so even if we are allowed to open at reduced capacity, some musicians will still choose to self-quarantine, leaving bands without members and venues without bands.”

On the promotion side, representatives from Din Productions, Twin Productions and Kronic Productions were contacted but did not reply as of press time. But several area musicians had plenty to say. Jessikill, for one, was supposed to make history today by playing the prestigious annual Rocklahoma for the first time. Instead, they had to settle for a recent livestream while celebrating the birthday of singer Jessica Alejo.

"Personally, I almost landed into a state of depression the first two weeks of March, (but) I feel like this is spiritual warfare, and it is a time to either lose or triumph for your soul," Jessikill guitarist Jyro Alejo says. "If you have the will to do what you love, nothing can stop you. This time off has definitely been positive. We have been writing more music, and amazing ideas come to us at random hours of the night. I feel like this time off is definitely helping us brew up the most powerful Jessikill album yet with the messages that need to be heard for the right people."

Jessikill drummer Jordan Ames said he has taken a respite from music not because of Covid-19 but because he's about to become a father.

"I'm focusing on what's to come," Ames says. "However, Jyro and I have recorded a few more complete demos for Jessikill's next album. I'm not worried about the future of Jessikill. I'm more concerned with the political climate and the potential negative effects on our civil liberties in the aftermath of Covid-19. On the positive side, I've made more time to give drum lessons to my 8-year-old stepdaughter, and since her school closed down for the year, I took her to work with me almost every day."

Many musicians, bar owners and yes, even journalists survive not on their passion for heavy metal but via their day jobs. The metal serves not only as a labor of love but as an outlet from the monotony, headaches and frustrations and/or boredom of their lives away from music.

"To date, our recording schedule is completely in free fall," X.I.L. (Exile) singer/bassist Austin James says. "Personally, we can afford to miss a few local gigs, no big deal. But of course, with a statewide lockdown comes all the travel bans, and that's when they get us by the balls. We've been set for a number of months to hit the studio to record our upcoming debut full-length effort Rip & Tear, and our recording schedule just so happened to begin at the start of April. The head of our label (Confused Records) got us a studio all the way out in the valley, which is a good 4-5 (hour) drive, and that's a lot of counties you'd have to get by, each one apparently coming with their own traveling restrictions. The band agreed to limit rehearsal to once a week; though it's important to take isolation seriously in times of an outbreak, we as a band still need to operate, not only to rehearse the songs we have ready for the album, but just for our own sanity.

"Me personally, I chose to stay home and take off from my little job as a plumber's apprentice," James continues. "So all my time now is indoors, and for certain people, that can be really tough on their mental being. Going for a walk around the woods outside my neighborhood and working out from home helps to maintain some sense of ground and stability added to the now occasional band practice. If all this continues possibly into the next year or longer, the only thing we can do as a band is adapt to all these changes and find whatever ways to turn them around to our advantage the best we can."

Therein lies perhaps the largest concern among a slew of them in the minds of those who make up the scene. Even with events trickling back this weekend, the limited capacities barely allow bars to break even. They also bring up the uncertainty of how many fans will take a cautious approach, how many will come back as if nothing ever happened, and how many will stay away for a longer period of time or at least until they see the rise (or drop) in Coronavirus cases following a week or two or more after the opening of venues, gyms, restaurants, salons, barber shops and the like.

“Covid-19 has affected my family, friends and myself more negatively then positively,” says original Syrus guitarist John Castilleja, whose band played the Headbangers Open Air festival two years ago in Germany. “Going out and socializing like we once did is at a standstill, and things aren’t going to be the same for a very long time. The music industry is gone for a while. Who knows when people will feel safe to attend large concerts and festivals?”

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Into the Pit: Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof

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Into the Pit: Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof

Although our world has, for all intents and purposes, shut down from outside activity in unprecedented fashion due to the Coronavirus, it’s what you make of this newfound extra free time at home that could pave the way to a brighter future. For musicians, that means extra time to write new material, record songs, or just play around with a bevy of riff ideas. 

Kurdt Vanderhoof is the lone remaining original member of one of metal’s longstanding influential and heavy bands, Metal Church. Vanderhoof founded the group, is its chief songwriter, and has weathered various lineup changes that has included three singers since 1984, with current vocalist Mike Howe on his second stint after debuting on 1989’s Blessing in Disguise. 

While Metal Church has long called Washington state home – the first state believed to have contracted the Covid-19 pandemic – Vanderhoof has relocated to the band’s original upbringing of California, which has thousands of citizens under a stay-at-home order. But while the concert scene has come to a halt worldwide, albums are still being released on Fridays. Metal Church gets into the act next Friday, April 10, with compilation effort From The Vault on Rat Pak Records. The album features new tracks, B-sides from the 2018 Damned If You Do sessions, somewhat unexpected cover selections and a pair of live songs from Japan. The bonus version of From the Vault also includes a pair of remixes from XI, the first album since Howe’s return in 2016. 

Vanderhoof spoke with me before a visit to Backstage Live on Feb. 20, 2014, when Ronny Munroe was the group’s vocalist (watch here). But now, with all the world’s a stage under our own roofs, Vanderhoof also used some of his extra downtime to speak with Alamo True Metal.

Click the widget below to hear our conversation. To watch my 2017 AXS with Howe, click here.

The band's founder, guitarist, songwriter and lone remaining original member goes "Into the Pit" to discuss next week's release of compilation album "From the Vault," how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting his band and down time, memories of the late original singer "Reverend" David Wayne and much more (photo Feb. 20, 2014)

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