Hey there,

OK, time to chime in aboot our gig the other night at DINGBATZ in Clifton, NJ.  First off, thanks to everyone who made it out.  The weather turned back to bitter cold and y'all could've stayed home where it was nice 'n' warm, but you chose to come see us play and we thoroughly appreciate it!!  I know we gave our all (judging by how tired we all were when we got back to the studio), and put on a killer performance.

It was also another case of bands getting along.  Everyone was friendly and helped out when possible.  I know the dudes in BOUNDALIVE pretty well since I'm producing and engineering there upcoming CD, but the dudes from APPLY PRESSURE and late-addition-to-the-bill THE WAKING ALLEY were cool, too.  BoundAlive played a great set, as did Apply Pressure.  Unfortunately we had to high-tail it outta there before The Waking Alley hit the stage – dudes, we owe you one.

Here's our set list for the night:


We've now got some photos up from the show, courtesy of our friend MaryAnn.  Cheque 'em out if you get a chance, she did a great job.

So what's up next??  Well, we just booked a return trip out to LIPPYS EXTREME SPORTS BAR in Marshalls Creek, PA on the 18th of April.  This should be a real heavy show as we'll be sharing the stage with FULL SCALE RIOT, WITHOUT END and PAVE THE WAY.  We played there back in Octobre and we dig the atmosphere at LIPPYS.  We're still assessing our options for March, so something could still come up.

In the meantime we're aboot to hunker down and start writing new material.  We've got some good ideas floating around, now we've just gotta finish 'em off.

Until next time...

Cheers,
CJ w/SKULLSHIFTER

Hey everyone,

OK, it's taken a couple of days to get to this – sorry aboot that.  It's been crazy 'round here, but I'm blogging now.

Turns out it was eventful night, pre-show, as my van broke down on the way to the venue.  Tom was with me, and we had all our guitar stuff.  After a few minutes to figure out our options we contacted the promoter, Michelle from NICE GUY BOOKING, to let her know what was happening as we would be missing the load-in time.  It was decided that we'd have to get back to our studio and load everything into Tom's hatchback.  It'd be tight, fer sure.  I called our bud Joe Moore from the band DTA, who were also on the bill, and he said we could use whatever of theirs we wanted – all we really needed were guitar cabs.

It took AAA aboot 40 minutes to get to us after the van ceased to function.  The driver hooked up the van and brought us back to LCBW where we did a quick switchover.  By 10pm we were back on our way to CHASERS, and we got there just before 11pm.

Once we were there we were able to relax a bit.  We were to be last on the bill, so we had at least 2 hours.  One band had canceled, so we'd be able to get in an extra song or 2.  J. was already there as he lives real close, and he had family in tow.  Danny arrived at the same time as us.

A little aboot CHASERS.  It's located just east of the center of Keansburg, right near the ocean.  It's a big room – bigger than I expected – with a good sound system.  The stage comes out of a corner, but there's plenty of room.  The bar is a good distance away from the stage, and is pretty large.

DTA was on right before us.  This was the first time I had seen them in a long while.  They stormed through a 7-song set, which included 2 new songs.  These 2 are their first written with Dave, their new singer, and they're really good.  They also played 'Seething Hatred' from their 2003 EP NO REST IN PEACE, which I recorded (and provided lead guitar).  They played a good set, and we look forward to jamming with them again, and soon.

After a pretty quick changeover we hit the stage, opening with feeedback for 'Strain'.  We played a tight, 7-song set, weighed heavily towards INNER DEMONS.  I felt we played really well, maybe our best show yet.  Tom's voice sounded spot-on, Danny and J. were locked and I nailed all the lead work that I have to nail.  The crowd response was good.

Here's the full set:


All that was left to do was talk to the fans, pack up and hit Wawa. ;-)  A few days later I was able to get the van to the mechanic, and it turns out the ignition module went bad.  $350 later everything is fine.

Next up we'll be at DINGBATZ in Clifton on 30 January.  We'll be opening for BOUNDALIVE at their CD Release Party.  We'll have more on this gig in the coming weeks, fer sure.

In closing, we all hope everyone has a great holiday season!!  More to come very soon...

Cheers,
CJ w/SKULLSHIFTER

Hello there,

This is a re-posting of the blog I did 2 years ago when we first unleashed "Jingle Bells" on the world. I figured it might be a good idea to bring it back up front since "JB" is now up on the page again. This version was re-mixed by me on 25 Novembre 2008. It is, for lack of a better description, now a bit heavier and clearer than before. Otherwise nothing has changed.

It is also available for download, so have at it.

Cheers,
CJ w/SKULLSHIFTER

Original blog from 8 Deçembre 2006

Alright... as you've probably heard on our front page, "Jingle Bells" was the cool project I mentioned last week. This was a joint venture by our good friends MAJUR BLUDD and us. It didn't turn out exactly as planned, but we all really dig the final result. Let me explain...

Some of you are probably wondering "where's Tom's vocals?? The plan was to have both Alphonso (MB vocalist) and Tom share lead vocals in some way, and it would've been very cool. However, Tom wound up with a severe sinus infection and just couldn't sing. Not a peep (although he snuck 'into the crowd' for "hey!"). So Alphonso did the whole thing himself... and he did an awesome job!!

All 4 of us are on the recording, though. Tom wound up playing the guitar melody at the end of the song, adding a 'classic' touch to the mayhem. J., Dan and I did backing vocals. I also did rhythm guitars as well as the first lead. I even had a plan to have J. play a 2nd bass track to augment the one played by MB bassist Tom Brannon, but we started to run out of time. It turns out that J. really dug what Tom B. did, so he was cool with not playing.

So, due to the circumstances above, this is being billed as MAJUR BLUDD with SKULLSHIFTER. And that's totally fair - they're the ones who came up with the idea in the first place. Tom Doud of EARTHQUAKE STUDIOS needs to be applauded as well for lending a hand with backing vocals and those 'sleigh bells'.

So there you have it, the first newly recorded SKULLSHIFTER output since "Strain" earlier this year. Thanks to MAJUR BLUDD for letting us in on it. Now we get back to the grindstone for the rest of Deçembre to put the final touches on some new material... now there's something to really get excited aboot.

Cheers,
CJ w/SKULLSHIFTER

"Jingle Bells"

traditional - arranged by MAJUR BLUDD and CJ Sciøscia

produced, engineered & mixed by CJ Sciøscia
recorded and mixed at Le Chateau Bow Wow Recording
in Watchung, NJ from 25 Novembre through 2 Deçembre 2006

the players:

lead vocals - Alphonso Rodriguez
rhythm & lead guitars - CJ Sciøscia
rhythm & lead guitars - Ryan Wrobel
melody guitars - Tom Nolz
bass guitar - Tom Brannon
drums - Tom Goodwin
sleigh bells - Tom Doud
backing vocals - Tom Brannon, Dan Davie, Tom Doud, Tom Goodwin,
J. McCaffrey, Tom Nolz, Alphonso Rodriguez, CJ Sciøscia and Ryan Wrobel

Howdy friends,

After 17 months away from the stage it was really nice to get a gig under our belts. But this was no ordinary gig – this was our CD Release Party. It was a great day, a lot of fun. We shared the stage with our friends BONEDADDY and METAL FINGER, and we had a lot of friends in the house digging the metal. J. and I had double-duty, of course – he's the bass player with MF, and I'm the guitarist with BD – but that didn't matter to us one bit. Kinda served as an extended warm-up for our set – not that we didn't give less than 110% anyway.

We were exceptionally tight for a band that hadn't played live in so long. Then again, we have been playing these songs an awful lot since we started recording 12 months ago. And we played everything a lot faster – had to be our thrash roots coming through there.

Here's the set:

Intro/Exploiter • I, Punishment • The New Conspiracy • Strain • Veil Of Deception • Last Mistake • Engines • Etched In Sand • Forward Rearview • Here In Hell • Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck

Thanks hella to everyone who came out, we really appreciate your support. Also, big cheers to Bryan Pearsall of BOUNDALIVE (our doorman), Joe Fischetti (our BBQ chef) and Will Scioscia (our merch dude) – they worked hard all day. Lastly, thanks to the members of the Cranford BPO Elks Lodge 2006 for allowing our event and for being so accommodating.

So today is release day for INNER DEMONS, the final step of this long process. I can honestly say that we are all totally stoked with it – the sound, the production, the artwork... everything. We're proud parents, fer sure. HIT THIS LINK to order yourself a copy!! And it is now available via iTunes (US, Australia/NZ, Canada, Japan and UK/EU), Napster, Amazon MP3 and Rhapsody as well.

(As a quickie side note, HERE IN HELL is now available on iTunes. The other 3 sites will following shortly.)

Next up is our first foray into Pennsylvania, the Keystone State. We will be playing at LIPPY'S XTREME SPORTS BAR on Saturday the 4th of Octobre with our good friends THE VIVID TWISTED and HOLE IN THE SKY, along with SHATTERHOOK, QUICKSAND JUGGERNAUT and CHOREA. We've already shared a few stages with TVT and it's always fun, they're a great band. We're looking forward to making some new friends over in PA, should be a cool night.

Lastly, we just got done posting a 3rd song from INNER DEMONS up on the page, so have a listen to "Veil Of Deception". This one's a much moodier piece, but still metal all the way – what else would you expect, eh?

That's it for now, more very soon!!

Cheers,
CJ – SKULLSHIFTER guitarist

R.I.P. Richard Wright (1943-2008), keyboardist with PINK FLOYD.

Howdy friends,

INNER DEMONS is now available for pre-order. Just click on the following link: NEW CD - INNER DEMONS. The release date is Tuesday, the 16th of Septembre, and all pre-orders should arrive right around that date.

Also available is our latest t-shirt design, available in sizes M, L, XL and XXL. Same link as above, just scroll down a wee bit.

Cheers,
the SKULLSHIFTER boys.

Howdy friends,

Brief update time yet again. Here's what's goin' on.

INNER DEMONS is now truly on the way. The art was finalized last week, and everything was sent off to the pressing plant. Tom's already seen the proofs and gave his approval, so we should have CDs in hand shortly.

The CD is coming out through BFD RECORDS. The official release date is Tuesday, 16 Septembre. It will also be available via iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster and AmazonMP3. We're not sure yet if it'll be available for purchase via download the same day as the actual CD.

HERE IN HELL will soon be available for purchase via download at the same sites.

The CD release party is all-systems-go for Saturday, 13 Septembre. This is being held at the BPO ELKS LODGE in Cranford, NJ. It is a day event, starting at 1:00pm. Admission is $5.00, and there will be free burgers, hot dogs and soda (cash bar for those 21+). We will be sharing the stage with BONEDADDY and METAL FINGER. INNER DEMONS will be available for purchase that day, ahead of the official release. We will have new t-shirts on hand as well.

We will have the CD cover artwork up shortly. New songs as well.

The video for "Strain" is coming along slowly. But it's getting there.

J.'s feeling better. Worlds better, in fact – to the point that he expects to show up for rehearsal this coming Monday. It'll be good to get an extra rehearsal or 2 with him ahead of the CD release show.

And that's it for now. We'll post another blog once the CD art is on the site.

Cheers,
CJ

P.S. Don't forget that ROSS THE BOSS appears on INNER DEMONS, playing the main lead on "Etched In Sand"!!

Hey y'all,

Just a quick update on a few things.

1 – J.'s surgery was moved up a week to the 1st of August, which, of course, was yesterday. I spoke with him a little while ago, and the operation was successful. He'll be on his back for a while, recovering, so he's basically out of commission for the month of August. He's in good spirits, and is looking forward to things being a little less 'nutty' with him.

2 – The artwork is close to completion for INNER DEMONS. Once the art is all set we'll be shipping all the materials off to the pressing plant. We'll have an official release date soon, but it's definitely coming out in Septembre.

3 – We should have some new songs (at least samples) up on the page very soon. We will discuss this when Tom, Dan and I get together on Monday night.

4 – We've got nothing new to report on the video for "Strain". With Tom working furiously on the CD artwork the video has been pushed to the side for the time being.

5 – J. has re-joined NJ progressive thrashers EXXPLORER. This does not affect his participation with SKULLSHIFTER at all. He played bass with them on their ColdBlackUgly album back in the mid '90s. EXXPLORER is confirmed for the KEEP IT TRUE XII Festival in Germany next April, and J. will, of course, be heading over with them. We are thoroughly excited for our friend to have this opportunity – maybe something of the sort could happen for us somewhere down the line. Ya never know...

And that wraps it up for know. More in a few days, fer sure.

Cheers,
CJ

Howdy everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well. With the exception of the 'bad' news I'm aboot to let y'all in on, all is well here at SKULLSHIFTER central.

So, first, the bad news. We have had to cancel our appearance at the NEW JERSEY HEAVY METAL MASSACRE III show at DINGBATZ on the 16th of August. J. was told yesterday that he would be having a surgical procedure on the 8th, just 8 days prior to the gig. He was told the recuperation time is approximately 3 weeks, so there's no way for him to be ready. I finally caught up with Anthony, the show's promoter, a little while ago, so this is official. We are very sorry to have to drop off the show as we were really looking forward to it – hell, it was also gonna serve as our CD release gig. Anthony is a first-class dude and we dig DINGBATZ, so this is definitely a downer for us. However, since J. should be back in action after Labour Day, we will now try to formulate a new plan for some sort of CD release show.

What does that do to the release of INNER DEMONS, you ask? Well, everything is still in place to get it out very soon. The mixing was finished in May, and the mastering session with Alan Douches at West West Side Music went perfectly, so the music is DONE. We are totally chuffed with the end result, and we think y'all will agree when you hear it. Tom is sorting out the art now, working diligently. Once he's got that sorted we can deal with getting the CD pressed.

3 weeks ago we began shooting a video for the song "Strain". All of the band footage is now in the can. The hope is that we can release the video at the same time as the CD.

So that's where we're now at. Hopefully we can get a new CD release gig sorted out very soon. When we do we will let y'all know.

Cheers,
CJ – SKULLSHIFTER guitarist

P.S. Tom and I got to see CANDLEMASS a few weeks ago. What a great show!! I hope it's not another 17 year wait between US tours.

Howdy friends,

Wow, has it really been 3 months since the last blog?!? Time to get to it.

The mixing has been completed for INNER DEMONS. I actually had most of it done 3 weeks ago, but we've been tweeking it ever since. Tom even re-did an entire vocal performance We had until this past weekend to get it done as we had to deliver the final mixes to the mastering house on the 27th. Our mastering session is set for next Tuesday, the 3rd of June, and they require the final mixes a week in advance to prep them for the session.

Mastering will once again be performed by Alan Douches at West West Side Music. He's mastered a lot of the music we all know and love, including Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, God Forbid, Bad Brains, Nile and Symphony X. He's even mastered some guy named Pete Townsend... I vaguely remember him. ;-) The main difference between the mastering of HERE IN HELL and INNER DEMONS is that I will be at the session this time. The reason: a lot of money is being spent out of our pockets for the mastering, so it's gotta be right the first time. We went back 'n' forth a bit for HERE IN HELL, and we learned our lesson there. Luckily it was only a 3-song EP.

The final running order of the CD is as follows:

EXPLOITER
LAST MISTAKE
THE NEW CONSPIRACY
VEIL OF DECEPTION
STRAIN
DAY IN THE SUN
BREAKING POINT
ETCHED IN SAND
FORWARD REARVIEW

INNER DEMONS gives one a more complete picture of what we're all aboot. A lot of ebb and flow. We naturally give a huge nod to our thrash roots, but there's so much more. And then there's ROSS THE BOSS playing the main, climactic lead in "Etched In Sand" – total 'Hail & Kill' there!!

Another thing... plans are underway to shoot our first video. As with nearly everything else, this will be an in-house production. We have the technology and the know-how. Time to put that college edumacation (sic!) to use, eh?

INNER DEMONS is due in August. The exact date is not set yet, but it will be out in time for the show NEW JERSEY HEAVY METAL MASSACRE 3 show at DINGBATZ on the 16th of August. That will be billed as our CD release gig as well. Also appearing are COMBAT, ETHEREAL COLLAPSE, MARTYRD and our good friends DTA.

I'm sure I'll have more after the mastering session. Until then...

Cheers,
CJ – SKULLSHIFTER guitarist

Howdy friends,

Here's a quickie on where we're at with the new CD. As of right now all that's left to do are 4 lead guitar tracks, and a little bit of production to the intro of "Exploiter". Then it's time to mix.

Things got bogged down a bit due to an upsurge in sessions at the studio. Nothing wrong with that, I've gotta make a living. But it has stalled the progress a bit, no question. We're on our own schedule anyway, so no big deal.

I'm hoping to get these last bits done by the end of next week. Let's say by the 7th of March. At that point we'll sort through things for a few days, take a deep breath and then dive into the mixing stage. I think I can say it'll be done by the end March, so keep your fingers crossed.

Cheers,
CJ w/SKULLSHIFTER