STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Gitarrist Jed Simon hat sich folgendermaßen vom Ozzfest gemeldet:
"Well, here we are, July 11th my friends!! 'The New Black' [the new STRAPPING YOUNG LAD album] is all yours as of today!! Get out there and show your love for the LAD. Fuck yes!!!!!!
Ah, sweet summertime... For us so far this year it's been nuts... Here we are rocking the Ozzfest tour... The shows are great, the fan support is amazing... All that shit... It's just kinda weird adjusting to morning metal, haha!
Wondering what it's like? Heres the drill...
1. Arrive at Ozzfest site, generally around 7AM
2. Very tired crew get the fuck up and get the gear out of the trailer and set up for stage call.
3. Very confused and somewhat cranky band gets up around 9.
4. Band wanders around...not really sure why they are up.
5. Crew tells band to get the fuck on stage...band laughs, crew swears, band pouts, crew laughs, band plays...
6. Band hits stage and is suprised that there are always lots of people already in attendance...20 minutes of molten, chaotic metal ensues, and everyone is happy.
7. Band leaves stage, crew packs gear and trailer...and then it's usually around 11AM...
8. Nobody knows what to do next...it's only 11AM!!
So, there you have the morning drill...
The afternoon drill is a little different... It's a little hard to stay busy out here, but everyone has their own way of passing the timemovie watching, PSP playing, guitar playing, reading, eating, and without fail...drinking. Not that we drink to excess every day, but there are a few beverages that go around generally after a show, or during the course of the afternoon. Devin enjoys a little red wine, Byron likes whatever he feels like, Jed always loves his Stoli and tonic, and Gene doesn't drink, so he is a good lad and drinks plenty of water! The guys all have a lot of friends on the road too, so when people come to visit, it's cool to catch up with some road buds.
There are a lot of great bands on the tour...we are particularly fond of LACUNA COIL, FULL BLOWN CHAOS, THE RED CHORD, BLEEDING THROUGH, and A LIFE ONCE LOST. They have been an absolute pleasure to watch!
We have met some great new merchandise people along the way so far, and they have hooked us up with some smokin merch...Draven shoes, Black Flys sunglasses, Logitech, The Jagermeister family (dangerous, haha!)... great stuff from great people.
In San Francisco and L.A., a lot of our endorsers came out to see us and their other bands too...Mesa/Boogie, ESP, EMG, Sabian...we look forward to meeting more as we head east...GHS/Rocktron, BBE Sound, InTune GP, Guitarforce...we thank them all for their continued support.
Gene's family was out in force in San Diego. It's always a pleasure to have metal's First Family out to visit...they make us all feel like a part of their family, and they are just good people. We love 'em.
Devin and Jed been doing some recent interviews together, and it turns out that they quite enjoy each other's company when doing what sometimes can be rather tedious... they're cracking jokes and making the interview process just a little more fun...which usually means a fun interview for the reader as well. Good times!
Yesterday we were in El Paso, Texas, as part of a day off/travel day doing some shopping, some of the guys went to a movie, eating...whatever, while our driver got some much-needed sleep. It was 119 degrees out there yesterday, or in Canada, 49 degrees Celsius. That's HOT!!! Holy crap! Batman never been in heat like that, although with humidity in the Southeast, and similar regions, it's more brutal. Sometimes humidity is a killer. Blech."
