Evil disco pioneers Static-X have shared dates for the Machines Vs. Monsters Tour. Featuring support from Gwar, Dope, and A Killer’s Confession, this late spring/early summer run kicks off May 23rd in Tucson, Arizona. Tickets and VIP are available at static-x.org! (Dope and A Killer’s Confession are also offering VIP experiences.)
5/23 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre (No Gwar)
5/24 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
Alternative/dark pop artist Romy Flores, known professionally as DeathbyRomy, is embarking on her first North American headlining tour this spring. This run is to promote her debut album, Hollywood Forever, which will be released April 25th, and kicks off the same day in Anaheim, California. Support varies by city and will be either bodyimage, heffy, or PrettyUgly. Tickets are available at deathbyromy.com!
4/25 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction*
4/26 – San Diego, CA – Voodoo Room at House of Blues*
4/27 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar*
4/29 – Dallas, TX – Dada*
4/30 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room*
5/2 – Orlando, FL – The Social^
5/3 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade^
5/4 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506^
5/6 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere^
5/8 – Washington, DC – Atlantis^
5/9 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall^
5/10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry at The Fillmore^
Rock/metal outfit Fame on Fire has announced a North American spring tour in support of their 2024 release The Death Card. This 24-date run boasts special guests Halocene and Archetypes Collide. Tickets and VIP are on sale now at fameonfireband.com!
4/1 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
4/2 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
4/4 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philly
4/5 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium Upstairs
4/7 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
4/8 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
4/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Hell)
4/11 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
4/12 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
4/15 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
4/16 – Dallas, TX – Trees
4/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater
4/19 – Anaheim, CA – Parish at House of Blues Anaheim
Fozzy, the hard rock/heavy metal band fronted by Chris Jericho, is celebrating 25 years together, and they’re kicking off the festivities with some spring dates in the U.S. The tour features special guests Liliac and The Nocturnal Affair. Tickets and VIP are available at fozzyrock.com!
A Killer’s Confession has announced A Horrifying Trip Back to the 2000s, taking place this spring. The tour will feature a full headlining set by A Killer’s Confession with the bonus of guest appearances by former members of Mushroomhead. Waylon Reavis, as the frontman of AKC, along with J. Mann, Richard “Stitch” Thomas, and Lil Dan will be performing some of your favorite hits, including “Sun Doesn’t Rise” and “Bwomp.” As if that wasn’t enough, fans will be treated to supporting acts Ventana and Aeternum.
Robbie Ekblom, Jr., is a Finnish/American guitarist who focuses on lead and has influences ranging across the metal and metalcore landscapes. Philadelphia-based Hall of Lost is a hard rock/alt-metal project put together by singer and guitarist Jeff McAllister.
And when the two acts come together, listeners are gifted with a track like “Darkness Befalls.”
I had the chance to chat with Jeff and Robbie about their collaboration – how the artists met, how the song came to fruition, and what the odds are of them making more music together in the future.
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Mostly Music: Okay, so tell me how this came together. I’ve talked to artists who have worked on a track from different places, but I’m not sure they’ve ever been from different countries!
Robbie: Long story short, we were able to get acquainted on Instagram and combined our appreciations for artists like Breaking Benjamin, Tool, Seether, and create our own track using our studio setups from across the Atlantic. That’s how our collaboration came to be. I think this story could motivate people who want to work together but don’t live near one another. You really can come out with some pretty cool stuff, and you can get pretty creative these days when it comes to recording.
MM: How did you and Hall of Lost handle writing “Darkness Befalls”?
Robbie: I had come up with an instrumental track for “Darkness Befalls,” and Hall of Lost contacted me on Instagram after hearing some of my other music and said that they’d be interested in doing a collaboration. So then Jeff and I started messaging each other and he said one of your tracks is something that I really wanna work on and beef it out with some lyrics and his own instrumental additions.
For the recording itself, we both have our own setups. I have a home studio, and he has his setup over there in the U.S. So we just combined sounds and sent one another the music files and kept adding bits and pieces until the final version was fully edited.
It’s been a first for me working with somebody as talented as Hall of Lost. Jeff is a phenomenal musician and really has an incredible appetite for creating music and creative arts in general.
MM: That’s a great segue into Jeff’s side of the story. Ha ha! Jeff, what was your inspiration for “Darkness Befalls”?
Jeff: Sure thing, Melia. This track was a fun one to work with because Robbie had all of the instrumental completed, and most importantly, he had a title for the song. So many songwriters attempt to write a tune without first having a title, and there’s nothing wrong with it…I’ve done it myself, but what you typically find is that if you have a solid title, that drives the whole process forward. Needless to say, with a title like “Darkness Befalls”, I had a lot to work with!
Those riffs Robbie plays on the song emote plenty of feelings, so the inspiration came pretty naturally. I wanted to capture a sense of an alter ego, an anger hidden inside, being taken to a place you don’t want to go. When the anger takes over, that’s when darkness befalls.
MM: This question may sound almost naive, but how different is it writing and recording a song remotely as opposed to physically being in a room (or the studio) with those you are creating with? I imagine it requires a change to your normal approach?
Robbie: From my perspective, being in a studio or in a recording space together has the advantage of being able to adapt or change things on the fly because you’re all together and can discuss recording, or certain segments of a song, lyrical changes, whatever it might be, in person immediately. Whereas doing it remotely like this has sort of a time lag between making the changes, especially given the distance between Jeff and myself. We have a 6 hour time difference. That means anything we want to discuss has a one day, or at least one night, lag. But what is really nice about this is, because we both have our own studios and equipment, and are familiar with our own recording infrastructures, it – at least, for my part – has been very comfortable, because I know exactly how to use my stuff. There hasn’t been a need for any gear changes or adjustments to any of the actual tech we’re using. I do imagine, depending on how much we continue to work with Jeff, it would be cool to get into a room and just jam out and make music in person.
Jeff: I think Robbie said it well. This really worked out very smoothly, and I think what it came down to mostly was faith. I had complete faith in the musical track Robbie laid down. In fact, upon hearing what he crafted, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was such a big sound. Conversely, he allowed me a lot of creative freedom with his baby, allowing me to suggest a few arrangement suggestions and modifications to fit the lyrical delivery. From there, I would run the lyrical ideas by him and send him some samples, and we would go back and forth on any edits needed, volume changes, etc., but all in all, those were minimal. The fact that Robbie doesn’t seem to sleep also helped.
It would be great to eventually get in a room together. We’ve become great friends throughout the process, so beyond the creative chemistry, I’m sure he and I would down some beers together and come away with another great track.
Robbie: 100% on the downing of some amber lager and making magic happen! That day will come eventually, guaranteed! Haha!
As for the sleep; I had to get myself into somewhat of a routine of maximizing the time to keep in touch and to discuss music with the time difference. Now I’m in this loop where I stay up late, but it doesn’t bother me much because I’m so excited about the music and our project.
MM: So y’all are definitely working together again in the future? Can we expect another collab anytime soon? Because I would be 100% behind that.
Jeff: I can go on record saying that is definitely going to happen, especially if you’re making a request, Melia.
We have something in the works right now, actually. Schedules have been a bit tight, but the process has started, so it won’t be long. We really appreciate the support.
I imagine that won’t even be the last of it. Robbie is a riff machine. He has probably pumped out 2 songs before eating his morning Cheerios today.
MM: If I’m making a request? Okay! Consider this my request. And y’all are very welcome! I’m excited to hear what’s next!!!
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Y’all be sure to check out “Darkness Befalls,” and then do a deep dive into both artists! I’ve shared links to their socials below.
Also, this is not my only conversation with Jeff and Robbie. I will be back with a second interview in which we discuss their respective musical journeys, and maybe some off-the-wall topics as well, so please keep your eyes open for that!
Mostly Music 