If you're siting around the tube tomorrow night check out "Will You Kill For Me? Charles Manson and His Followers" premiering on MSNBC at 9pm EST. It just so happens that a certain dude (that being this dude) did a little of the music for it. There's nothing like watching Manson footage all day long and then playing Death Metal. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince the producers to score it totally to death metal, but I think the final product looks a lot better than if they had!

The Dude

That's right first Washburn and now Randall. Recently, the dude took some time to hang with Jody and the good dudes of Randall Amplifiers while at Darkest Hour's House of Blues show in Chicago. In this installment of Randall TV he goes over the main features as well as little known secretes of the Randall MTS head, talks about his new love for the duel effects loop, and takes some time to walk through the pedal board set up he is currently running. If you see the Randall MTS in a music store try it out! But until you get a chance to hear how sick the MTS sounds check out the episode here:

www. Askthedude. net has launched its new band classifieds section. Tired of shredding your life away in the basement by yourself? Want to kick out that lead singer but don't know where to look for a replacement? Need that perfect guitarist to start your Van Halen tribute band? Any of these questions sound like your life? If so, then we've created a place for you to look for some solutions. Here you can start that search for the last piece of your rock puzzle by posting a classified add. Musicians of all genres are encouraged to post in the name of free exchange. When good dudes meet up, rock can't be stopped!

That's right those crazy mofo's at Revolver Magazine have launched: "The Thrash and Burn Online Tour Blog!" Make sure to check in every week as Darkest Hour guitarist Mike Schleibaum keeps you up to date on the latest back stage parting antics at this year's inaugural Thrash and Burn tour (we'll try to post pictures but only if they won't lead to our arrest).

Check out the first of 5 installments here:
http://www.revolvermag.com/content/guest-blog-darkest-hour's-mike-schleibaum

The first installment of Washburn TV featuring yours truly can be viewed at the Washburn TV You Tube page at www.youtube.com/washburntv



The good people at Washburn Guitars came down to our Chicago, IL date with At the Gates to film some footage, do a short interview, and party down. Lets just say we got all three taken care of!

Hey Dudes!

In conjunction with the organizers of this summers inaugural Thrash and Burn tour, I am excited to announce that I will be inviting you backstage this summer to answer your Ask the Dude questions in person.

When the idea of doing Ask the Dude Live came up I was far beyond stoked (catch the Pantera reference?)! Meeting new people at shows and making new friends all over the world is probably the single most fulfilling thing about being a touring musician. It seems that the more hardcore, punk, and metal gets swallowed by the mainstream the more the true connection between artist and listener is lost. I hope to make some new friends, hold some killer parties, and hopefully maybe even help some dudes out this summer!

If you would like have your Ask the Dude question answered live, submit your question to live@askthedude.net. Please include your city and date when Darkest Hour will be in your town this summer (tour dates listed below) in the SUBJECT LINE of the email. If your question is chosen you will receive two spots on the band's guest list with instructions on how, when, and where to meet me the day of the show.

Remember you can still always submit your questions directly to me at: thedude@askthedude.net to be posted on the Ask the Dude website! Also, check out Ask the Dude in print in this August's issue of Alternative Press (issue 241).

Thrash and Burn 2008 Featuring Darkest Hour, Parkway Drive, Misery Signals, Winds of Plague, Stick to Your Guns, Arsis, Arsonists Get All the Girls, Abigail Williams, and After the Burial. W/ Special guests Suicide Silence, As Blood Runs Black, Emmure, Veil of Maya, Brother Von Doom and more .. dates.

Thrash and Burn Tour dates:

7/29 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre

7/30 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom

7/31 - Kansas City, KS @ Beaumont

8/01 - Dayton, OH @ The Attic

8/02 - Detroit, MI @ Dirtfest

8/03 - Milwaukee, WI @ Robot Moshfest

8/04 - Chicago, IL @ The Pearl Room

8/05 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners

8/06 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's

8/07 - Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade

8/08 - Albany, NY @ Northern Lights

8/09 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre

8/11 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

8/12 - Huntington, WV @ The Monkey

8/14 – Long Island, NY @ The Crazy Donkey

8/15 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

8/16 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar

8/17 - Virginia Beach, VA @ The Norva

8/18 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre

8/19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

8/20 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre

8/22 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit

8/23 - Houston, TX @ Java Jazz Outdoors

8/24 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

8/25 - El Paso, TX @ Club 101

8/26 - Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theatre

8/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues

8/28 - San Diego, CA @ Soma

8/29 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome

8/30 – San Bernadino, CA @ The Hudson Theatre

8/31 – San Francisco, CA @ The Grand

9/01 - Portland, OR @ The Hawthorne Theatre

9/02 - Spokane, WA @ The Big Easy
9/03 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven

See you guys there!

Darkest Hour guitarist Mike Schleibaum, aka "The Dude" will be taking your questions live and jamming some tunes on XM Radio's killer metal station, Liquid Metal Channel 42 (if you have direct TV it's number 841).  If you don't have XM you can download the free trial at: www.xmradio.com/xmlmoffer. It's good for 14 days. Make sure to call in toll free (866) 466 9656 with your band questions, problems, or opinions at 4:30 PM EST Monday May 12th.

Mike's appearance coincides with the release of his online blog/advice column www.askthedude.net, where Mike posts his advice and responses to questions sent in by, well anybody. Feel free to send a question to: thedude@askthedude.net

Darkest Hour co-founder and guitarist, Mike Schleibaum, has launched a new online advice column, called AsktheDude.net.

"I always try to save and answer every email I get as a band member. Eventually I began to see that I could just post the answers in an advice blog or column, and well, ask the dude was born."

A little fun, and mostly serious, Mike draws on his 13 years of touring, recording, partying, and writing (plus a little known degree in Social Work from George Mason University) to answer all those burning questions out there.

"Let's face it, after all these years, I've probably made all the mistakes for you."

Along for the ride is long time tour manager and road legend Tito Picon. Tito will kick off a guest advisors section along with a "From the Road" interview page. His first interview, with Guitarist Nergal of black/death metal giants Behemoth, is up now.

Check it out, maybe you're having trouble booking your first show, maybe your bassist's girlfriend wants to manage the band, or maybe you just want advice on the fastest way to learn the solo to 'Crazy Train'. Whatever they are, send your questions to thedude@askthedude.net.

So go for it… got something you'd like to ask the dude?