Satanicide
is a New York-based mock metal/glam metal [1] [2] band formed in 1999 that styles itself and its music to represent, tongue-in-cheek, the heavy metal music scene of the 1980s in New Jersey. [3] [4] Self-described as portraying a lifestyle "where the mullet and kick-ass rock 'n' roll still live," the members sport big hair and spandex and leather stagewear. As part of their presentation, Santanicide plays party anthems and power ballads with a mixture of satire and affection. In 2003, the group were described in The Drama Review
as an "irreverent, demonic death-metal turned glam turned cock-rock band". [5] The original four member band consists of frontman Dale "Devlin Mayhem" May, guitarist Phil "Aleister Cradley" Costello, drummer Andrew "Sloth Vader" Griffiths, and bassist Pemberton "The Baron Klaus Von Goaten" Roach. Pemberton was replaced by bassist Sebastian "Vargas Von Goaten" in 2003. [6]
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SATANICIDE TICKETS
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History
In the late 1990s, Dale May and Phil Costello (a real estate lawyer)
[7] [8] were in a group called Peanut 23.
Peanut 23's quirky original songs were far from successful.
One night, both May and Costello put on their girlfriends' wigs and spent the evening "acting like a couple of kids in from Jersey, kicking over trash cans, talking the talk."
After a positive reception that night to an uninvited, impromptu performance on a club's stage, May and Costello decided to form their own band.
Guitarist Andrew Griffiths was recruited from a
trip hop band called Puracane, and bassist Pemberton Roach was added to complete
Satanicide.
In August 1999, Satanicide played the
Maxwell's music club in
Hoboken, New Jersey.
[9] Previously used to getting perhaps 30 people to come out for a Peanut 23 show, Satanicide brought in hundreds.
In January 2003, Satanicide played a
gig at the
Sundance Film Festival in support of a short film made by the band.
By March 2003, Satanicide was a popular act on the
New York music scene.
[10] Their humorous stage shows were viewed as creating a certain mood which allowed for improvised audience embellishment.
The
William Morris Agency agreed to represent Satanicide and worked with the band to produce a
film treatment for a television series.
However, May and Costello's songwriting chemistry did not translate into scriptwriting chemistry and the treatment was tabled.
Four years after they formed, Satanicide sought to replace bassist Pemberton Roach in August 2003 because Roach "secretly liked
Billy Joel."
[11] In advertising for the bassist position, Satanicide listed the required qualifications as musical "
chops"; "hott
[sic girlfriend to share with band"; "disposable income to buy
coke, booze and whores"; and "when hearing the
Dave Matthews Band, must be overcome by impulsive desire to kill."
Sebastian "Vargas Von Goaten" replaced Pemberton in 2003.
In September 2004, the website heatherband.com was created.
[12] In December 2004, Satanicide announced that it had changed its name to
Heather
, listing heatherband.com as their website.
[13] In addition, the group became "the group formerly known as Satanicide", jettisoning the big-hair wigs and at least some of the shtick.
[ In July 2005, Satanicide announced that it was getting together for a reunion performance at the Bowery Ballroom, a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. [14] Some question whether they in fact broke up in the first place.]
By May 2005, Satanicide had appeared in a Cingular commercial and were headlining at the Bowery Ballroom. In April 2007, the Chinese gangsta rap trio Notorious MSG released their Lunch Money
EP, with Satanicide's vocalist Dale "Devlin Mayhem" May providing the chorus vocals to the Warlord song. [15] Additionally, as of June 2008, Costello was with the band Tragedy, described as a heavy metal Bee Gees tribute act where Costello played the Barry Glibb (sic) character. [16]
Presentation
In the Satanicide act, the band members hurl themselves into the crowd to scatter their fans as a way of mocking the rocker practice of stage diving/crowd surfing. They wear Barbie wigs to give them the big hair appearance of a glam metal rocker. In addition to this New York-based band claiming that they are from "Jer-Z," they spout elaborate lies related to casual sex conquests and call to mind This Is Spinal Tap,
the 1984 mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about a fictional renowned metal band. The Satanicide members typically wear sleeveless T-shirts and circulation-inhibiting leather pants while they mimic many styles of metal. Their act calls to mind a mixture of Probot, Tenacious D, The Darkness, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
, The Upper Crust, and This Is Spinal Tap
.
Members
- Dale May, lead singer [17]
- Phil Costello, guitarist
- Andrew Griffiths, drummer
- Sebastian, bassist
Discography
- Heather
- 2003 [18] The title track of Satanicide's debut album, Heather
, is a Bic-lighter ballad about a girl whose name "everybody knows . . . from reading the bathroom stalls."
[19] Also on the album is a Dungeons and Dragons game tribute called "20 Sided Die" that summons the spirit of Ronnie James Dio, as well as a Bon Jovi-like ode to the big city called "NYC 2 Nite."
- Cradle the Bar
See also
References
- Lindgren, Hugo. (September 7, 2003) The New York Times ''Cranking the Volume to 11, Just Like Their Heroes.'' Section: 9; Page 96.
- Rose, Lisa. (October 28, 2001) The Star-Ledger ''Popspot - Haunting sounds at Halloween concerts.'' Section: Spotlight; Page 16.
- Lustig, Jay. (August 19, 2001) The Star-Ledger ''Popspot - N.Y. band in a Jersey state of mind.''
- Danton, Eric R. (November 17, 2003) The Hartford Courant ''Hard-rock acts are offering comic relief.'' Section: Life; Page D1.
- Satancide
- Peisner, David. (January 2, 2004) Chicago Reader ''We Want Fun.'' Volume 33; Issue 14; Page 20.
- La Gorce, Tammy. (May 14, 2006) The New York Times ''Music; Sure, I Rock, But I Need Health Care.'' Section: 14NJ; Page 10.
- New York Attorney search. Accessed June 21, 2008.
- The New York Times (August 1, 1999) ''On the towns.'' Section: 14NJ; Page 12.
- Brehm, Katharine A. (March 2003) The Drama Review ''Satanicide.'' Volume 47; Issue 1; Page 86.
- Huhn, Mary. (August 17, 2003) New York Post ''High notes & low notes.'' Section: New York Pulse; Page 44.
- who.is heatherband.com
- Stewart, Sara. (December 12, 2004) New York Post ''Hot List - What we're obssessed with this week.'' Section: Sunday Pulse; Page 84.
- Huhn, Mary. (July 29, 2005) New York Post ''We dig Brian Jonestown Massacre.'' Section: New York Pulse; Page 65.
- Mazmanian, Adam. (May 11, 2007) Washington City Paper ''Lunch Money EP.'' Volume 27; Issue 19; Page 48.
- Lustig, Jay. (June 6, 2008) The Star-Ledger ''Bee Gees inspire unlikely musical fusion.'' Section: Tickets.; Page 22.
- Cranking the Volume to 11, Just Like Their Heroes
- Satancide > Discography > Main Albums
- Davis, Hays. (September 18, 2003) Richmond Times-Dispatch ''Satanicide: "Heather"'' Section: Weekend; D16.