Carl Begai

(Chapter 1)
(Chapter 2)
(Chapter 3)

Chapter 4 – Cris

For guitarist Cristina Bishop, the road that led to the creation of Scarlet Sins began with the tragic death of her best friend. Partners in crime from the age of six, their sudden and senseless parting in 2003 changed Bishop’s priorities and her views on life. Working through her grief she found a sense of purpose in music. Acting on it helped her to cope with the pain, and has brought her farther than she expected.

“You know when you’re finished school and you’re ready to take on the world, and the world shits on your head and tells you to wake up? It was kind of that moment for me,” says Bishop, having made peace on some level with the sad turn of events. “It was one of those moments where I though ‘Fuck, what am I doing with my life? I don’t want to waste it partying…’ At the same time I was grieving so hard and I didn’t have anyone to talk to who had been through something like that. I just got deeper into the music and started writing, and all these songs kept coming out. That’s basically the first album (laughs).”
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Having established themselves as something pretty damn close to unique with their classic self-titled EP and weirdo cold progressive follow-up, The Warning, Queensrÿche blindsided pretty much everyone with Rage For Order. The goth-glam promo pictures did a decent job of scaring the shit out of the people who cared, first single / video ‘Gonna Get Close To You’ finished the job with its brooding Depeche Mode-metal vibe. Most folks outside Canada didn’t realize the song was a cover, Canuck metalheads (myself especially) couldn’t believe one of their own would cover Lisa Dalbello, but it had the desired effect. I, like so many others that had dismissed Queensrÿche as being too over-the-top for their own good, weighed hype against weirdness and took a chance on the album, and was pleasantly surprised. (continue reading…)

I’m not God’s gift to journalism but I consider myself a decent writer. There are lots of folks out there that are better than me, but I’ve thrown down some bad-ass prose in my time and I can look back on what I’ve accomplished with a certain amount of pride. I’ve also made mistakes for all to see and laugh at – using the word “situation” three times in a run-on sentence is my personal best – and I’ve learned from those mistakes. And while I have the whole grammar thing down pat (barring any stylistic wanderings on my part that I justify in the pursuit of creativity) every so often I see a story or review I wrote that’s gone to print with some glaring errors and think “Nice one, you dolt…” Sure, I could blame the editor, but I try not to.

With the general pace of life and all the instant messaging going on these days (and please, kiddies, keep the fucking laptop away from the bathtub!) it’s no surprise that grammatical rules have gone to hell. Blogs, text messages, Twittering, online bulletins… everyone has a voice whether they can write or not, syntax be damned. Can’t blame them, either, because ultimately it’s the message that’s important to them and the parties involved, not how pretty it looks.
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(Chapter 1)
(Chapter 2)

By Carl Begai

Chapitre 3 — Elie

Montreal-born drummer Elie Bertrand is the push that made Scarlet Sins move.

Taking nothing away from her bandmates of course, who recorded the debut album with the very capable John Pacheco (Fall And Divide) behind the kit as a session drummer, but Bertrand’s entrance solidified Scarlet Sins’ direction and enabled them to take their music to the next level. The fact she was a mere 17-years-old when she auditioned (in 2007) mattered very little once the band heard and saw her in action

“Well, I didn’t tell them how old I was, but I didn’t lie either,” laughs Bertrand. “They didn’t ask me at first so I didn’t say anything. I think it was Cris that finally asked me how old I was so of course I told her, and I guess the girls weren’t expecting anything from me because I was so young. I mean, John was playing drums before I was even born (laughs). But I’m here, so I guess the age thing really wasn’t a big deal. I sent the video of to them of me playing, and then I drove down to Toronto with my dad for the audition, so they never made a big fuss about it.”
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By Carl Begai

Helix frontman and founder Brian Vollmer is a prime example of someone who makes music for the right reasons. While some long-suffering veterans of the biz jump on the nostalgia / reunion train for (supposed) big bucks and other artists – old and new – bitch about how unkind the music industry is these days as they release uninspired slabs of forgettable tunes, Vollmer is busy leading the bull around by the horns. As far as he’s concerned the present day lack of big production budgets and flashy marketing that punctuated Helix’s ‘80s heyday doesn’t make his new music any less viable, and he’s out to prove it. So while he looks back fondly on the past, Vollmer is focused on the future, ready to remind people why Helix is called the hardest working rock band in Canada.

And for those who are only dimly aware of Helix, stick around. You may learn something.
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(Chapter 1)

By Carl Begai

Chapter 2 — Tanya

The induction of bassist Tanya Nicklaus to Scarlet Sins’ ranks was an important step forward, offering Bishop and NuVynska some real stability beyond their own commitment. It was a case of dumb luck working in the band’s favour – and not for the first time – as Nicklaus had added bass guitar to her repertoire mere months before Scarlet Sins went in search of a new four-stringer.

“Yeah, I was a guitar player for about 10 years,” says Nicklaus. “I was in between bands when I picked up the bass. I just decided to buy one and try to put some demos together at home on a four track. I wanted to write and I didn’t want to have the pressure of being in a band, having to come up with something right away. So basically I decided to figure out a new instrument so I could play both parts for the demos. It’s funny because Cris and I were friends and we’d get together for coffee sometimes. At one point I just asked her what was up with Scarlet Sins and she told me they were having problems with their bass player. It was like, ‘Holy fuck, you know what? I can play bass!’ (laughs). Obviously I needed to work on my chops because I’d picked it up only a couple months before, but I knew a lot of the theory from having played guitar for so many years. It was a natural transition for me.”
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By Carl Begai

Rather than trace the trials, tribulations and general misery within the Stratovarius camp that tore the band apart with painful slowness, the focus is instead on their comeback-from-a-comeback album, Polaris. Suffice to say that between 2003 and 2008 the Finnish power metal outfit provided their fanbase with more soap opera drama than anyone deserves to be subjected to (see Wikipedia for the sordid details). Blow up, shake up, make up, break up, ex-guitarist/songwriter Timo Tolkki was at the center of the internal five year battle, his personal demons transforming Stratovarius into a car crash of epic proportions that effectively killed off any hope of a return to glory. The band wasn’t as dead as it seemed, however, with frontman Timo Kotipelto, keyboardist Jens Johansson, drummer Joerg Michael and bassist Lauri Porra choosing in 2008 to move forward as a unit, albeit nameless and without a concrete musical direction. The entrance of guitarist Matias Kupiainen as Tolkki’s more than capable replacement changed all that, with Polaris as the end result. An album that shows more than mere signs of life, it puts Stratovarius back in familiar territory and on a road that isn’t going to simply end around the next curve.
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When I first moved to Germany I was surprised to discover how much the people liked their carbonated mineral water.

Not that the concept of bubbles in my drinking water was anything new. My parents had big-ass bottles of soda water delivered to our doorstep every few weeks when I was a kid. But, it seemed that the average German generally frowned upon drinking tap water, opting instead for buying half liter bottles of bubbly. It was and remains in such high demand that most companies distributing it offer up their product in varying strengths:

– Average “that tickles” bubbles

– Medium “scratch that itch” fuzzy bubbles

– Extra Strength “and you though Pop Rocks could dislocate your jaw” hydrogen bomb carbonation
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By Carl Begai

In the five years since their inception, Toronto-based all-female band Scarlet Sins have slowly but surely proven they’re more than just four pretty faces. Launched by guitarist Cristina Bishop and vocalist Sylvya NuVynska, brought to full strength with the addition of guitarist-turned-bassist Tanya Nicklaus and drummer Elie Bertrand, the quartet’s modern-edged anti-alternative metal sound has made them a stand-alone act on the Canadian scene. They are focused and fiercely independent, pushing the Scarlet Sins name on their own terms with noteworthy results. Toronto metal icon Ray Wallace – known for his behind-the-scenes work with legendary acts Razor and Sacrifice – took Scarlet Sins under his wing early on; a testament to the impact of their music. Rush producer / engineer Rich Chycki came on board to record the band’s self-titled 2007 debut; yet another endorsement of the foursome’s abilities as songwriters and musicians. Since then it’s been one bold step after another, and the world outside their Canadian haunts is becoming increasingly aware of their approach.

Call this a four part showcase for the fans, and an introduction for the people who thought Scarlet Sins was nothing more than a good looking idea.
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I recently caught up with my guitarist buddy Joe Stump to discuss his new album, Virtuostic Vendetta. An excerpt from the interview is available below, with Stump discussing his idol Ritchie Blackmore and the descent into medieval Renaissance madness that launched Blackmore’s Night.

“I have a lot of respect for him because he’s loved that kind of music his whole life, and he did make a really serious commitment to his new music,” says Stump, diplomatic as ever. “It’s like he picked up a new instrument. I listen to a Blackmore’s Night record and there are moments of brilliance, but the whole thing starts to wear me down by the end. It’s sort of similar with the live show. It’s quite good, but he doesn’t play nearly enough electric and it’s almost as if he’s doing it out of spite. Everybody’s waiting for him to throw down on the Strat. He does a couple tunes, but he’ll play a lot of those solos that were done on an electric acoustically. There are some brilliant tunes on those Blackmore’s Night records, though, and a lot of the melodies are very Rainbow-esque.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

If you’ve never heard of Joe Stump, go to this location to take a listen and worship at the altar of no-nonsense shred. You’ll be glad you did