Of course I’m being facetious; Viper Rash is my band and we asked the folks behind Rock and Shock, very nicely, if we could be so honored as to play this year. After verifying no other bands wanted it as bad as we did, they let us, and it led to the biggest show of our short career and kicked off what would be a hellaciously fun weekend for everyone hear at Dread Central.
Uncle Creepy and his lovely lady Debi (aka The Woman in Black) showed up that Friday morning disgustingly early, having taken the red-eye from their new home in San Diego in order to get out here in time to make sure nothing was missed. My wife decided the best thing to cure jetlag were some of her amazing Breakfast Squares (imagine crack in food form), which had them sleeping like babies within hours. It was some well-needed rest, as Creepy informed me multiple times, since that night would prove to be a very long one, indeed.
We got to the show right about the time things started kicking into full Friday evening gear (dealer tables were open till 10) and I had to divide my time between making sure everyone at the Dread Central table (aka FREE STUFF) were happy and making sure my band was in full face-rocking mode. Thankfully both were with very little effort on my part, and our show itself went out without a hitch. Well, our guitar player almost got knocked over and I got horrendously tangled in the mic cable, but there were no lasting injuries, thank God.
Friday night was filled with the usual debauchery that most people don’t want to see repeated on the ‘net, whether names are used or not, so suffice it to say we all had a damn good time!
Saturday morning the table was up and running before I was (thanks again, Cara!), but most of my day was spent between running around and meeting new faces and re-connecting with old ones. It’s amazing how much time flies when you’re not really paying attention. Uncle Creepy was on panel-hosting duties all day, cause that’s really what he was born to do, and from what I heard everyone was very happy with his work, as usual. I only got to see one of them, but I can attest from Fear Fest that the man was born to be up on stage getting crowds excited!
Throughout the day on Saturday, the folks behind ScreamKings.com had movies running upstairs at the show, including 9 Lives of Mara, Redsin Tower, Death by Engagement and the original Halloween with an intro by PJ Soles and the original Michael Myers, Tony Moran. Pretty fucking cool thing for fans of the original, or just those who wanted to wash the taste of Rob Zombie’s “remake” out of their mouths. Scream Kings did a great programming job (though I don’t think a movie should ever start as early as 11am… egads) and I’m sure they’ll be back next year, as well.
Of all the bands playing that night, the only one I really wanted to make sure I got a chance to see was Finnish rockers Lordi; I’d never heard them before and didn’t know what to expect, only that they dressed up like monsters and had a real affinity for horror. Personally I thought they were a lot better than even my lowest expectations had, others didn’t’ feel the same, unfortunately. I really wanted to chat with them about their upcoming horror movie debut, Dark Floors, but since I had no idea what they looked like sans makeup, tracking them down proved difficult. I’ll keep digging, though!
Nomad made his arrival that night, as well, though he missed the big party, he did hit up the smaller one back at the hotel. I swear, sometimes it amazes me how much time people spend during these cons just doing things they shouldn’t to their body, knowing they have to get up ridiculously early the next morning and be awake and alert all day. I guess for some it’s all part of the package!
Finally came Sunday, the day we knew was going to be slow as convention Sundays usually are. Creepy and I started the day off solidifying our commitment to Dread Central with the badass tattoos you see here, courtesy of Jamie and Tony of Nitemare Tattoo, a Rock and Shock staple. The duo did us up at the same time and finished within minutes of one another, and the results are … well, let’s just say I’m very proud to have this baby on my body!
The rest of the day was basically spent winding down, saying goodbye to convention friends and making promises to reconnect soon. Of course we had to have our traditional post-show dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, which is a great way to bring things to an end and say our last goodbyes. Another Rock and Shock in the can, and this time we know for a fact it’ll be back next year!
Huge thanks to Gina, Kevin, and the rest of the Rock and Shock crew for all they do to make the show one of the best in the country. If you’ve not made it out before, be sure to make your plans for next years now, because it’s only going to be bigger. And who knows, maybe Viper Rash will play again!