Un-Observer : First off, can you tell everyone about Wayne Abney and the benefit itself?
Bruce: Wayne Abney is most remembered for being the bassist and vocalist for Hammer Witch. They moved the band from Louisiana to the D/FW area in the mid-80s. They quickly became an important part of creating the local Metal scene. In the early/mid years of the 90's Hammer Witch was the premier thrash metal band in D/FW during that time. Many of the bands that came from the same era as Hammer Witch were disbanded by then. Bands like Rigor Mortis, Gammacide, Sedition and Rotting Corpse were over. Hammer Witch just got stronger during this period. Hell, I wanted to sing for them at the time. But, Wayne was like… "Fuck that… I'm the motha fuckn' singer bra!" Back then, whenever anyone talked about the top badass bass players on the metal scene during those days. Wayne Abney's name was always mentioned in the discussion.
Anyway, Wayne has had some rough times in the last year. Losing everything he owned in Hurricane Katrina and then a serious motorcycle accident on August 2nd. He was just about to move back to D/FW and he still plans to move here. So when word got around about his accident. Many people wanted to do something to help if they could.
Homer from the Joe's Garage and Tattoo Bar days sent me a message on Myspace and said we should put a benefit show together for Wayne. Then I was at Ed and Ruth Velez's house one night and we talked about the benefit idea that Homer had mentioned to me. Ed is the drummer for When Life Has Ceased. Their guitarist Adam Epstein was over there and he also books some shows at The Phoenix and other clubs. So Ruth asked him if we could put a show together for Wayne. Then we found out that Adam's Mom knew Wayne back in the Hammer Witch days and she gave Adam his first metal CD when he was a little kid. It was Hammer Witch's masterpiece "Legacy of Pain". So Adam was always a fan of Wayne and thought the benefit idea was great. So then he set up a show at The Phoenix on October 21. Rick Perry thought of the idea to name the benefit "Legacy of Wayne". Of course that was a takeoff on the Hammer Witch classic release "Legacy of Pain".
After that we wanted the show to be more than just a one-genre metal fest. We wanted to get a lot of bands that were friends, fans or former band members of Wayne's involved in this benefit. So I e-mailed bands like Mitra and Scum Scunge. Harden Harrison from Rigor Mortis is in Mitra and they are a great professional band that has recently been signed. Stu Taylor plays guitar for Scum Scunge. He was a well-known photographer back when Hammer Witch first moved here. He became one of their biggest fans and supporters.
Then of course we really wanted to get some of Wayne's former band members involved. But, they were already offering to participate before we ever asked them. I got emails from former Hammer Witch original drummer Terry Sims. His band Staggercrawl wanted to play the fest and so we were happy to have them on board. Then Hammer Witch guitarist Darrin Kobetich offered to do his acoustic set at the show. Having him was a must and of course we said… "Hell Fuckin' Yeah!"
Then Steve Curtis of Dark Alliance contacted me and wanted to be on the show too. Steve and Dark Alliance are also old-school metal heroes from the same era as Hammer Witch. Steve has a lot of respect for Wayne and so they also fit perfect to be on this bill. We also needed a band from the new breed of metal bands around D/FW. So that had to be "When Life Has Ceased". Drummer Ed Velez was always a good friend of Wayne's and of course Adam being the big Hammer Witch fan… so they had to be on this show too.
A lot of people started asking if somehow bands like Rigor Mortis, Gammacide and Rotting Corpse could do this benefit for Wayne. The timing wasn't right for any of the bands to be able to do a show on that date. So when I called Rick to try and convince him to somehow get Gammacide to do the show anyway. He came up with an idea for us to join forces and do something different and special for Wayne's benefit. The idea just took off and suddenly we had members of 5 of the most important bands in the birth of metal in D/FW that wanted to be part of it. Scott Shelby came up with the name Texas Metal Alliance and it all just fell into place. So we are going to play songs from all of our old bands… Gammacide, Rotting Corpse, Rigor Mortis, Hammer Witch and Talon/Sedition. I think it will be really cool… but, mainly we are having a lot of fun with this chance to work together.
Rick Perry, Scott Shelby, Ed Velez, Alan Bovee and myself will make up the nucleus of the Texas Metal Alliance. We will be performing on most of the songs and we got together enough to get these songs as tight as possible in such a short amount of time. Then we are going to bring up special guest to perform with us from all of the bands. Steve Murphy will get up during Rotting Corpse. Sal Torneo and Darrin Kobetich will join us for the Hammer Witch songs. Casey Orr will appear during the Rigor Mortis and Talon/Sedition songs. Then Turner Scott Van Blarcum will join us to sing the Talon/Sedition song. It's not like all of us are going to be up there at the same time and doing just a free-jam session… in case anyone was wondering how we were going to do this.
We rounded out the fest with Protest and Maiden Texxas. We needed a band that will give this show a kick in the face right off the bat. So Protest will be the appropriate band to start off this fest. We also wanted the show to end on a high note. What better way to end a night of great music than for a bunch of drunk metal fans to listen to some classic Iron Maiden songs? So Maiden Texxas is a great choice to play last at this benefit.
We also had to have the right host for this event. There was no other choice but Thrashin' Alan of KNON's "Hardtime Radio". On October 12 at 8:00 PM Central time, many of the members of Texas Metal Alliance will be guest on Thrashin' Alan's show. You can listen to the show on 89.3 FM or on the internet at www.knon.org
Un-Observer : Who are you looking forward to seeing at the benefit?
Bruce: Without a doubt that would be when Wayne's former band members Sal Torneo and Darrin Kobetich get on stage together. They haven't played these songs together since Hammer Witch broke up well over ten years ago. Almost all bands break up, but no matter what… band members are really like family to you for the rest of your life. It's just going to be a special moment to watch them after so many years. Knowing that they came together because of one of their brothers was hurting. Wayne will probably not be able to attend the benefit. But, his spirit will definitely be there when Sal and Darrin play those Hammer Witch songs that night.
Then I can't forget to mention how we are going to finish off the TMA set that night with the return of Turner Scott Van Blarcum. Turner hasn't sung a Talon/Sedition song in about 16 years. So that is going to fucking rule seeing him back up there again after so many years.
Un-Observer : When it says on the flyer, "With performances by the following musicians..." does this mean a one night only jam session?
Bruce: Yes, that's exactly what that means. We all came together to help out Wayne. Rick Perry mentioned to me that 20 years ago… we could have never been able to do something like this. Even though our bands were doing shows together back then and supportive of each other. We were all so different back then and so into our own bands… we would have never pulled something like this off.
But, I have to say that this is one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of in my life. I will never forget these two months in 2006 when I worked with dudes from Gammacide, Hammer Witch, Rotting Corpse and Sedition. The spirit and enthusiasm we all had working on something to help out our fallen friend. To share our ideas and combine forces with open minds. It has almost been magical to watch these ideas blossom into what I believe will be the most significant local show in D/FW in 2006. This is a once in our lifetime kind of night and everyone there will remember it for the rest of their lives.
Ok, wipe those tears away everyone. I never say never…. So ya never know if TMA will resurrect again in some way for another meaningful event. Or hell, even if it's just for fun… because all of us are having fun a blast with this. I would work with any of these musicians again in a heartbeat.
Un-Observer : Rigor has been played several reunion shows during the past year- can we expect any new material in the future?
Bruce: That is still one of our goals and we still hope to record a new Rigor Mortis CD with the original lineup. But, we don't have any kind of time frame on when it will happen.
Un-Observer : How has the reception been for the re- releases and wasn't there a pressing put out previously on King Fowley's Old Metal Records label? --I heard that there was some controversy about those imprints is this true?
Bruce: Well, the response has been great now that people can buy the debut on CD for a normal price. When it was originally released, CDs were still kind of new. Capitol released a lot more albums and cassettes than they did CDs. So by the mid 90s when everyone had CD players. There just weren't many copies of that Rigor CD around. On Ebay, people were bidding an average of $50.00 to $100.00 to get a copy. That is fucked up and just not right. So when Casey got it re-released a few years ago… a lot of the reason was that Rigor fans wouldn't have to pay so much to get a copy on CD.
King put that out and it was a misunderstanding for a little while. But, that was solved quickly and easily. King Fowley is a great guy I have kept in touch with him on the internet for the last 8 years. I am a fan of Deceased and they even played a show with us last year in New York. So it was a great night and he was very cool in person too.
Un-Observer : Thematically, some would say Rigor Mortis is a Horror/splatter movie fan band. During the inactive years, did you ever catch a great horror movie and think to yourself, "dang, this would make for a great Rigor piece."
Bruce: Hmm, I don't think I really did think about things like that. After some years went by I just accepted that Rigor Mortis was part of my past. I always had found memories of those days and I always knew they would be some of the best moments in my life. But, I just never thought about what Rigor Mortis could be doing if we were still together. I was shocked about the reunion… never really believed that would happen. BUT, IT SURE AS HELL IS COOL THAT IT DID!
Un-Observer : What's your opinion on the state of Metal today?
Bruce: I like the way it is right now. The newer breed of bands help make metal become a force again. That allowed us older bands to have a chance to come back and do it again. I love being at a metal show now and having metalheads from ages 17-50 all sharing their passion for the best music on the planet.
Un-Observer : Can anyone make a living at it anymore?
Bruce: I think it's a long-shot… but, I think a small percentage of metal bands will be able to do it. We all know that metal is NOT the type of music to play if you are in it for the money.
Un-Observer : I really enjoyed seeing HG Lewis (2000 Maniacs, Blood Feast, Color me Blood Red etc) join you on stage at Texas Frightmare Weekend for a rousing rendition of 2000 Maniacs. How did that come about, how much fun was it and will we ever see it as a release?
Bruce: Man, what a moment that was for Rigor Mortis. They were filming some kind of Documentary for him and had cameras on him the entire time at the convention. So they filmed him riding with us in our Van and rehearsing the song in our Hotel room. It was a surreal kind of moment. Maybe you will see some of that footage if they do release an H.G. Lewis Documentary. You can already buy the actual performance of him on stage with us on the official "Texas Frightmare Weekend" DVD.
Un-Observer : What are you doing for Halloween?
I celebrate Halloween for a couple of weeks usually. Mainly by just going to shows, parties, haunted houses and getting drunk as hell.
Un-Observer : What's on your cd changer these days?
Mainly all the bands that make up the Texas Metal Alliance. I had to learn the songs for our setlist. So I have listened to a lot of Hammer Witch, Sediton, Gammacide and Rotting Corpse these last two months. I respect those bands more than ever now. I think they were all ahead of their time and their music will never become outdated if you like metal. So I hope to see many of you at the benefit show for Wayne on October 21. Because we do have one helluva set list that night with songs by all of these bands.
Be sure to listen to members of the Texas Metal Alliance live this Thursday night on KNON 89.3 FM in D/FW. Or you can listen on the Internet here…
KNON (Hard Time Radio) We will be discussing more about how this Benefit happened. Reminiscing some of our favorite Wayne Abney stories and memories. Along with playing music of the bands that make up the Texas Metal Alliance and some of the other bands playing the benefit. It should be pretty cool. So be sure to tune in at 8:00 Central time this Thursday night October 12.
KNON (Hard Time Radio)