Past Editions of the
The Gomorrahland Times
July 13, 2009
I've been busy. I've been busy trying to make a living. I've been busy trying to make sense out of what has happened to the world since 2000. But Im back. And I will try to get some work done and update more often.
|
October 5th, 2007
The RSR Store is now an Audio Digital Enterprises Store where you can purchase not only AG CDs and T's but CDs from several other artists who have recorded with or been produced by Gene Crout of AG. Check it out. |
August 26, '04
The RSR Store is open for business! Why don't you stop by and buy something? Let me know if it works... :) |
July 28, '04
|
April 1, '04
|
March 19, '04
Produced by Randy George of Ajalon and Threshing Floor Records and Gene Crout of AG and Righteous Sinner Records, CPR Volume 1 is being debuted RIGHT NOW (8-11pm MST) on ImaginaryDimensions.com! It includes music from 18 Progressive Rock artists. Prog Rock greats such as: Kerry Livgren/ Proto-Kaw CPR Volume 1 is a 2 CD set containing 18 Artsts/Songs. AND, its ONLY $16! Two CDs of AWESOME music for the price of 1. Buy it! (Available soon from AG and all the other artists) |
November 18, '03
Peace! |
October 20, '03
So, never fear! AG is still here! |
October 11, '02 Wow. Its a sad day. A sad, sad day. I just learned that my current most favorite band, and one that I consider to be among the greatest progressive rock bands ever, is breaking up. Well, not breaking up entirely. Neal Morse of Spock's Beard has announced (yesterday) that he will no longer be working with the Mighty Beard. I am stunned. Some may have noted on the Band Links page that I considered Dream Theater to be the greatest of all. This was true until I fell deeply into the Beard. I love DT still. They never cease to amaze me. But I have found that the Beard touches me in a way that DT never did. Neal's music and lyrics have inspired me to the depths of my soul. No doubt due, in part, to his faith in Christ. Since "discovering" the Beard thanks to Mr. Portnoy and Transatlantic, I have turned no less than 3 of my best friends as well as my wife onto the Beard and all have fallen for them just as I did. My wife said, and this is no small compliment, "Neal is a very smart man", in reference to the depth and passion of his lyrics. My buddy Scott keeps telling me "The Beard Rule Supreme!". Geez, Dave went and saw them live by a stroke of luck on a business trip and bought their ENTIRE CD catalog from them at the show. This is the kind of effect that Spock's Beard has had on people. The only positive thing that I see out of this whole thing is seen throughout Neal's letter announcing his departure - God. I am edified, and I see God glorified, in the depths of Neal's faith in God's leading. I wish that I could hear His voice so clearly. May the Soveriegn God of Israel bless Neal, the Beard, and all their families. The "original" Beard will be sorely missed. |
September 02, '02 Lots and lots of news items going on these days. First, our show down in Alamosa on 8/17 was fantastic. Its obvious that the crowd down there really enjoys our music and as a result you guys and gals are undoubtedly our favorite audience to play for. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. We hope to get back down there to play for you again really soon! Second, we are getting "air"play on Spinner.com. Spinner.com's Progressive Rock station has been playing More than a Carpenter in regular rotation for a couple weeks now. Please give them a listen. And write them to request other tunes from the album like This Present Plague or Truth for a Lie! Third, Gene had the opportunity this summer to work with Ric Cori, formerly of 24 Wet Feet, on his solo album entitled Thawing the Iceman. Ric recorded and mixed his own album in his own studio (very well, I might add) and then brought it to Audio Digital for Gene to master. During this process it was decided that the album would also be released on Righteous Sinner Records, and Ric Cori has become RSR's newest artist! Please visit Ric's site to pick up a copy of his awesome, pop inspired, Christ centered album. Finally, Gene Crout of America Gomorrah will be playing out and about with Ric Cori as an acoustic duo in support of Ric's brand new solo album. The primary intention at this moment is to support Ric's material. However it is the desire of both Gene and Ric to begin including some of Gene's own material into the set, as well as acoustic versions of some America Gomorrah material. Keep an eye on the AG Shows page to see what is up. |
July 5, '02 Well, in addition to getting ready for our Alamosa show this summer, Gene has been a busy beaver in the studio. Of primary importance is that I have just completed mastering Ric Cori's new full length album release, Thawing the Ice Man. I am honored to have been able to take part in the project as I really think that Ric is one talented dude and an amazing songwriter. The disc is due for release sometime in August or September, I think, so I will post another update when I know more. |
June 10, '02 Hey! AG is doing a show in Alamosa this summer! Yeah! I know! Pretty sweet! Obviously, I am a bit short on details at the moment but I can tell you that it will take place in a large park pretty much in the middle of Alamosa. There will be various acts to be announced with America Gomorrah playing somewhere along the way. As soon as I get some more details, I will let you know. |
May 13, '02 Well, I am happy/sorry to announce that AG just sold out of our Extra Large T-Shirts!. All gone. Sorry. Still have Medium and Large, which are pretty Large, though. :) I'm very please to include the fact that this final Extra Large T was sent to a customer in Germany. Everybody pray for that package to make it to its destination safely - since there are no more Extra Large Ts to send in case it gets lost! :) Once again I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the many people who have supported and are supporting America Gomorrah! |
May 6, '02 Hey! What do you know! AG makes Progressive Rock Radio Network's Artist of the Week for 5/6/02! There are alot of organizations out there that give lip service to indie artists, but PRRN puts action to talk. These guys kick butt. If you haven't checked out Progradio.Net, or haven't visited in a while, get over there! PRRN rocks!  |
March 1, '02 Ok, so no News updates for months and then you get two in as many days... I know that I have mentioned before an awesome band by the name of Divine In Sight. Well, I have finally completed my most lengthy review of their spectacular debut release, Sorrow & Promise. Please click here to read the review, then go buy a copy today. |
February 28, '02 This is certainly a record for me. No News updates in months. But that is certainly not to say that there has not been anything newsworthy! Back in October, Gene went into the studio as Engineer with fellow Denver band Junker Jorg to record their very soon to be released second album, Ignite the Machine. Shane and the boys came to Gene's studio, Audio Digital, to track bass guitar and vocals. Gene was actually honored to be able to take part in the arranging of background vocals as well as some additional production goodies. He can even be heard screaming in the crowd on "Ok, Alright"! What a blast. Thanks very much to Junker Jorg for allowing me to help. Be sure to pick up a copy of "Ignite the Machine" when it is released on March 9th, 2002. Go to Blastbeats.com or JunkerJorg.com. Gene has also been in the studio on his own, recording material for a new CD release to be announced soon. Gene is working with long time friend and collaborator, David Vaughnn, who penned the lyrics for More Than a Carpenter. Dave and Gene worked together many years ago back in Tucson, AZ, and have decided to come together again to create some new music. Gene is also working with friend Scott Rice whom he met shortly after starting America Gomorrah. Scott is an excellent guitarist and a very fine songwriter. Scott has some great musical ideas that fit beautifully with Gene's style of writing. America Gomorrah fans are going to really dig what is coming up. Meanwhile in the AG camp, the hiatus may turn into some shows during the course of the Summer. Carl is working on setting up a big show in Alamosa, and we may manage to get out to some of the venues in Denver which have been requesting our presence. God willing, it shall be done. Well, that's all for now. More announcements will be made about Gene's upcoming release in the near future so stay tuned. |
October 5, '01 Well, lets see. There are big changes taking place in Gomorrahland right now, but I will wait to go into detail until I actually know what they all are! :) In the meantime.. Keep praying for the families of victims of the September 11 attack. Also, President Bush and all those in the government who will have to make hard decisions as to our future. Pray that they seek God for guidance. Sometime during September we went over 10,000 hits to our homepage! Pretty impressive, I think, for an indie band. Actually, I am quite sure that the number is way beyond that because that count is only for hits to the home.html page. Any people who come into the site in other areas will not be counted. AG is rapidly approaching our first $1000 of MP3.com earnings! Thank you all very much for your support. There should probably be some new music coming in the next few months, so keep an eye (ear) out. That's all for now. |
August 20, '01 America Gomorrah is live on IUMA - the Internet Underground Music Archive! |
August 15, '01 Oh, I have been REMISS! It appears that Gomorrahland has skipped straight from June to August with no news in July! BAD Gomorrahdudes! As usual, things are always moving in Gomorrahland. We have just been informed that MP3.com has chosen both Good and Faithful Servant (Radio Edit) and Truth for a Lie to be included in an upcoming Best Alt. Rock on the Net - Christian Essentials Theme CD. This CD is an MP3 CD and will be available only through the MP3.com store. Theme CDs are complilation discs containing about 100 MP3 tracks from various artists within the MP3.com community. Songs are hand picked by the Content Management department at MP3.com and we consider it quite an honor to have made the cut. In fact, we are doubly honored. As a Content Management representative told me after an inquiry: "Congratulations - most artists only got one song on a CD!". So much thanks to MP3.com for including AG! Lets see, what else is up. Well, I have just finished uploading a couple songs (sorry, not new ones) to IUMA. AG will soon have an IUMA page in addition to our MP3.com page and our Official AG site. IUMA stands for InternetUnderground Music Archive. Check out http://www.iuma.com. I'll let you know when our page is up, but it should only be a couple days. We are excited that Broken Records has now created a Progressive Rock category. In case you don't know, Broken Records is a fantastic source for Christian music on the web. ETfaL has been available at BR since it was released. I encourage you to visit and patronize Broken Records. Real World has been included in the July August 2001 HM Magazine Hard Music Sampler CD. As a result, we continue to get picked up by more and more radio stations and are actually in the charts on a couple stations back east. Way cool! AG is working on new material, but there is no scheduled release date and probably won't be for a while. However we are anxiously awaiting the official release of the debut CD of our good CPROG friends Divine In Sight! I have it on authority that Sorrow & Promise will be available for purchase soon. I (Gene) was fortunate enough to get a copy of this disc several months ago and I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to any progressive rock fan! Visit http://www.divineinsightmusic.net/ Guess that's it for now. Later! |
June 26, '01 Sorry for the late notice, but its a bit of a surprise to me as well. America Gomorrah will be playing in Pueblo at the Rocky Mountain Thunder Rally in the Colorado State Fairgrounds on Saturday June 30 at 3pm. We are looking for this to be an awesome makeup show for the few we missed recently. We are going to seriously rock those bikers right out of their saddles! Hope to see you there! Saturday June 30, 3pm Colorado State Fairgrounds Pueblo, CO On Praire Ave just north of Northern Ave in Pueblo. |
June 1, '01 Well, its been a while since we last posted. As usual, its been very busy in Gomorrahland. You may have noticed that we have had to cancel all our scheduled gigs. If you recall, Carl's wife, Katherine, was scheduled for surgery last March. We asked for your prayers then, and we are asking for them again. That surgery never took place and in fact, Carl and his wife have found a new doctor to care for her. The new doctor is most concerned about her wellbeing and has rescheduled that surgery for the earliest possible opportunity - June 13th. Katherine will be in the hospital for several days, and then will be assigned to full bedrest for several weeks thereafter. As a result, Carl will rightfully be attending to his wife's needs and will be unable to accompany the rest of AG on our scheduled "mini-tour" with Junker Jorg. And, of course, if Carl cannot play, then the rest of AG cannot play. So we very, very regretfully have to pull out of the gigs that we have scheduled for the early part of the summer. Please continue to lift up Carl and Katherine in your prayers, and please toss a few in for AG as a whole as well. This is a very difficult time for all involved and we need your prayer support more now than ever. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Junker Jorg for asking us on that little tour with them and formally apologize for any difficulty we have caused them as a result of our pullout. We would also like to ask all our fans in Denver and the West to support Junker Jorg as they tour around this Summer. Not only are they the best power metal band in Denver, they are also some of the coolest guys I have had the pleasure to meet and work with. Great thanks to Shane and all of Junker Jorg. The one glimmer to all this is that, as a result of our inability to perform at this time, America Gomorrah will be returning to the drawing board to continue work on our next release! We want to give a big THANKS!to all our fans and supporters once again and let you know that we are working hard to create music with even more depth and breadth than that on Exchanging Truth for a Lie. Thanks and more later. |
April 16, '01 - AG Hits #1! America Gomorrah's Seven Trumpets has suddenly rocketed to the top of the Progressive Rock charts on MP3.com! It is believed to be the first time America Gomorrah has held the #1 position on any MP3.com chart. How long we hold it has yet to be seen, as we all know the MP3.com charting system to be quite fickle, but it is quite pleasant to have reached that spot - especially on a secular chart. Additionally, we currently hold positions #9 and #12 on the Christian Metal charts with Truth for a Lie and More than a Carpenter, respectively. So we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the continued support you have shown America Gomorrah since our debut release, exactly one year ago this Wednesday 4/18! THANK YOU! |
April 10, '01 EGADS! All apologies for my most negligent maintenance of this page! In fact, things have been pretty busy! Lets recap. We had to cancel our March 22nd gig with 24 Wet Feet. Medical troubles interrupted the schedule and we would appreciate all your continued prayers for Carl and Katherine Busser. We released a new single, Real World, and it will be included in a local compilation CD called the Manna Comp to be released by FIFTY280 records in Denver. We will let you know through our site and through email when it is released. You can download the MP3 from our site or stream it from MP3.com I am really happy to have completed that song because we received a call last week from HM Magazine. HM has invited us to take part in the HM Music Sampler CD to be included in their June Cornerstone issue. So the Real World (Manna Mix) will also be included in an upcoming HM Sampler CD! Very exciting! If you have poked around Gomorrahland lately, you may have noticed that the Soap Box page has been updated. Each individual essay has now been moved to its own HTML page, so that the Soap Box index page will now load much faster and you wont have to wait to load articles you have already read! Cool, huh? Yeah, well its about time. I did this in preparation for some new articles I feel compelled to write. So keep an eye out for new Soap Box updates. Finally, I would love to introduce you to a KILLER new Christian prog band that is about to release their first CD. Divine in Sight is their name and Sorrow & Promise is the name of their upcoming CD. Please check them out, you won't be disappointed. I am amazed and impressed. TTFN |
Feb 15, '01 Well, lets see. Not much has been happening and lots has been happening. Alamosa show was killer. Zone show was killer. Much thanks to all who attended. We wouldn't do it if it weren't for you. Thanks. Our next scheduled gig is March 22nd at One Accord with our good friends 24 Wet Feet. Anyone who saw these guys with us up at the Zone knows that they put on quite a show. Wonderful, professional bunch of musicians all. Looking forward. Hopefully, we will have a little NEW material for you to debut. We might even get adventurous and do a little improv, we will have to see. Count on some of the favorites though! OH! I almost forgot! One piece of that NEW material I mentioned will be appearing on an upcoming compilation CD produced by FIFTY280 Records here in Denver! FIFTY280 Records owns a studio called the Red Room, and they also produce the Annual Vision Festival every summer. They are putting out a comp disc of local Christian bands and we will be placing a brand new tune on the disc! Sure to be a collectors item :), we will have an extremely limited quantity of discs for sale in Spring. |
Jan 17, '01 The Rialto Theater show in Alamosa was a huge success. Much thanks to the wonderful folks of Alamosa who came out to see us. We really, truly appreciated your warm welcome, your wonderful reception, and your attention after the show. It was fantastic. Much thanks to Pastor Rick and Becky for having us down - great lasagna! :) Much thanks to Pastor James (Chris, Mike :) for your prayers - they are most appreciated. Can't wait to do it again! |
Jan 08, '01 AMERICA GOMORRAH SURPASSES THE TIJUANA BRASS |
Dec 19, '00 Oh man. I am sooo psyched! I am most pleased to announce, that our Special Guest for the January 20th gig at the Zone will be 24 Wet Feet!. If you recall, 24 Wet Feet took 2nd at the Festival in the Rockies Band Competition. Not only that, the band's main man, Ric Cori, took first place in the Pop/Rock Song Competition for his song Remember. I'm sure hoping to hear that tune again! And you will be glad that you did too, so please, please come out and see us at the Zone. This is going to be a show not to be missed! We are happy to announce that Holy Rollers has been added to our list of fine sales partners. Please check them out. Really getting pumped for our December 28th gig at One Accord. Hope we see you there! Don't forget we are offering a special discount on our Combo Deal. Get 1 CD and 1 T shirt for $19.99 and save $3!. |
Dec 11, '00 We are really excited to announce a show down in Carl's home town of Alamosa, Colorado! Saturday, January 13th, we will be playing at the Rialto Theater in Alamosa. Check the Shows page for details. We are now offering a special discount on what we are calling the Combo Deal. Get 1 CD and 1 T shirt for $19.99 and save $3!. Check out the Combo Deal! |
Dec 1, '00 Tickets for the December 28th show at One Accord Coffee House are now available for printing from the Shows page. We are happy to announce that we have added the Christian Demo Clearing House to our list of AG retailers. (P.S. They have more than just demos.) |
Nov 28, '00 Some new information on the January 20th show with Junker Jorg can be found on the Shows page. Just got a great Review from the Brazil based Renegade2K website. Please check it out. The site is really nice and has a TON of information on it. Interesting little story about this review, however. Remember that terrible, horrible, no good review from Whiplash (below)? :) Well, I was originally contacted by Thiago way back in '99 while he was apparently working for Renegade. I sent the CD to him and nothing ever showed up. I got no replies to any of my numerous inquiries about the promised review. Well after about 2 months I finally wrote him a note saying thanks for nothing. Suddenly I get an email back from him. He is now working for Whiplash and there you have the terrible, horrible, no good review!. :) Well, after that whole experience I decided to contact someone else at the originally intended Renegade. That person was Carlos Afonso, the Editor in Chief. Carlos, all I can say is that I am glad you liked the disc more than Mr. Corr¡a. :) Thank you very much for your kind review. Again, check out the Renegade2K website. Its a great resource. |
Nov 07, '00 New Shows scheduled. Check out the Shows page. New Images page with photos from our last few shows. Just got a real nice letter today from Gene Savage of Savage Rock Radio. Gene, Well thank you, Gene! We are certainly glad to be on board and appreciate your kind comments. Hopefully we can send some more listeners your way. Anything for another Gene... :) |
Nov 06, '00 America Gomorrah is pleased to announce that we are now being carried in the Rad Rockers catalog. We are very happy to add Rad Rockers to the list of fine music retailers which carry our CDs. We are also very pleased to announce that we are being played on at least 4 of the Progressive Rock Radio Network's (PRRN) eleven internet radio stations dedicated to progressive rock of all kinds. Progged, Progged 2, P2K and Hard Progressive are all blasting away AG tunes! AG is also featured in their Prog2K "a collection of the most innovative Progressive Artists emerging from 4 corners of the world." |
October 19, '00 Several new updates to announce... A few new reviews have been posted on the Reviews page. If you have not read any of the reviews you really should check them out. Quite a diverse bunch of perspectives collected there from an equally diverse group of sources. Its worth a look. We also now have T-SHIRTS available! Indeed! Check out the updated Order page. Cool, black T's with a full color logo front and back - little one on the front, big one on the back. Remember, Christmas is only a little over two months away. Buy Two! :) Also, new update to the Music page. The sound clips are gone and full files are available for streaming in low and high bandwith, also, 4 full files are available for download. PLEASE! If you have trouble, let me know. If the streaming is not a good option for the majority of folks, then I will switch back to the old files. |
September 29, '00 America Gomorrah CDs are now available through all the major online retail sites such as Amazon.com, CDNow.com, Barnes and Noble.com, BestBuy.com. Exchanging Truth for a Lie is now available through the Orchard for wholesale sales. September 9, '00 Whew. Things have finally slowed down. We are taking a break this weekend after 3 gigs in a week here in Denver and the surrounding areas. The Weds. Aug 30 gig at the FBC Rockpile with Fancy's Show Box was a lot of fun. What a great place over there. Thanks to Scott Applegate of FBC for having us over. I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as we did. Anytime you would like to have us back, Scott, please let us know. Vision 2000 was also lots of fun. You know we switched from the Main stage to the "Indie Barn", right? Well, it was actually the "Goat Barn". These are some prized "Goat Barn" shots. Enjoy. :) I met and re-met some really cool folks. Thanks to Glen and Lissette Ballew for putting that whole show on. Hopefully next year AG can help out some more and hopfully increase promotion for the event. A couple mentions on KRMT didn't do justice to the amount of music at that place. I highly recommend music fans of any genre to attend. There is something for everybody there. Carl and I had fun meeting the guys from Tourniquet, even though nobody mentioned to either of us that Ted Kirkpatrick is left handed. :) Ted used Carl's drum kit for their set. Carl had to completely re-arrange his kit for Ted. Hopefully Carl will have put it all back together by the next time we jam. Thats about all for now. Again, we are kicking back for a bit. Stay tuned for new show information as it happens. We are definitely looking for more gigs. If anyone would like to have us over, please contact booking@americagomorrah.com. |
August 30, '00 Please check the Shows page for a time change for our Vision 2000 set. AG has been offered to move our time slot later in the day on Friday in the hopes of a larger audience. We have accepted. Rather than a 1:30pm set on the Main Stage, we have accepted a 5:30 slot on the Indie Stage. While the Main Stage would be cooler, what's the point if there is no one there to hear it. Hopefully there will be more people at the show by 5:30pm. The Heritage Square show went really well. Much thanks to Shane Sowers of Junker Jorg and Rich Cattarello of KRKS for inviting us. The KRMT Rocky Mountain Celebration interview with Shane and I also went very well. We had a lot of fun doing it and as it turns out, that show has been run at least two more times since the live show on Friday. Thank you Ruben, Susan, Amy and Kevin at KRMT for having us on. What a blessing. HM Magazine review update: You know, sometimes things are just out of one's control. I received our copies of the Sept/Oct issue of HM the other day and saw that our two songs are on the sampler. Great. However, they seemed to have neglected to do the actual album review which was the purpose of the whole deal. Apparently, when the disc got put in the stack of CDs for the sampler, it never made its way back out to the Editorial Department for a review. Thanks to Doug and Wesley of HM for their willingness to get this worked out. Hopefully the review will go in the next issue, and the tunes will be back on the sampler again. Or something like that. We'll see what happens and I will post when I know. August 24, '00 Please check the Shows page for updates and changes to our next three shows. August 18, '00 A new review and link has been added to the Reviews page. ProgressiveWorld.net just did a very interesting review on the album. Check it out. Also, look for a review of ETfaL in the upcoming print issue of Progression Magazine. Also, a great big full page ad for Exchanging Truth for a Lie buried somewhere inside. August 17, '00 AAAHHHH!! Chaos! As you can see, there are some updates to the website. Lots of stuff is happening so be sure to check out the new Shows page. Ok, now the promised Seminar / Praise in the Rockies Review. Ready? Well, we're back. Sorry it took so long to post. I arrived back home from the Seminar Friday evening (8/4). Did my best to stay out of the studio until Monday. So since Monday I have been trying to figure out exactly what to say and how to say it. First, the easy stuff. It was a blast. The week was much better than I expected. Obviously, we didn't win the band competition. If we had, of course you would have heard by now. :) But it was a great time anyway. There were 11 bands from all around; Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, I think California and at least 5 bands from Colorado - I obviously lost track. Guess who was the first to play that Monday? Uh huh, America Gomorrah! :) I actually had a dream the night before, during the little sleep I got, that we would play first. So at least I was prepared for that. All the bands were really great. Really. There was a relatively wide spread of styles that ranged between only one really oddly placed trio of piano and two violins, to a really nice family (I believe from CA) that played a pretty much traditional style of worship music. Mom, Dad, older son on Bass and younger son on Drums. I'm sorry but I just can't remember their names. Hey! If you're reading this, send me and email and give me your info! The rest of the bands were a pretty standard share of what you would expect to see at a competition like this: folk rock, alternative, ccm, straight rock to hard. We, as expected, were probably the hardest band there. :) Although we didn't necessarily show it by the tunes we played. There are a couple of notable close seconds however. The Clint K Band from Lawrence, KS rocked the house! These guys were flying across the stage like, likeÄ Like I don't KNOW what! They were awesome! If you are possibly tired of being preached at, but want some good, wholesome life based rock and roll from a Christian perspective, you really ought to check Clint K out. And all the guys were really cool, Clint Kueffer on Guitar and Vox, Chet Kueffer on Bass and Vox, and Jason Green on Drums and Vox. The Clint K Band is one reason why I don't feel bad about getting cut so early. These guys rocked and they were cut too. They had a great stage presence, they were by far the most interesting band to watch, they were tight and relatively well polished, and at least one of the songs they played, Angels Met, is a pretty darn catchy tune! Check the Clink K Band out on their webpage and on MP3.com. Another pretty rocking band was Feeding 5000 from Tucson, AZ. This power trio of Dan Hartman on Guitars, Mark Nelson on Bass and Scott Pearson on Drums had a pretty dynamic and catchy song in Rescue. This was another group which featured all three guys on Vocals. I must say that Rescue rocked a lot more live than it does on their demo CD, so I don't know if they intended to jam that hard or not, but I think they were great. Now, at least these guys made it past the first cut but eventually they felt the axe along with CKB and AG. I have a few opinions on that but I will share them later. Oh! Another really cool thing about the band is that Scott on Drums also hops over and plays the Piano! And well I might add. Impressive! I guess I ought to clue you in on the process. There were 11 bands. 5 played Monday 7/31 and 6 played Tuesday. The list was cut to 5 bands that played on Thursday. That group was cut to 3 which played Friday. One band was selected as the winner and they played Friday night at the concert. Again, I want to reiterate that all the bands were very good. But of course not all the bands were to my taste - and that's perfectly ok. Even though I may not particularly care for a style of music, I think that I have been involved long and deeply enough in music to still appreciate the composition and performance of the music. Ultimately people may have differing criteria for what they consider to be a "good" band, but I think that I can still be a fair judge of quality and professionalism. Ok, so I have to admit, some of the whole process is starting to get blurry on me. I know that there were at least two other notable bands which played the same day as us, Monday. I know they must be notable because they at least made it past the first phase of the process. :) Those bands were Blind Sighted from I believe Houston, TX and Euzoa from Steamboat Springs, CO. Both Blind Sighted and Euzoa are as equally great bands as they are people. I really enjoyed meeting them and hearing them and would be honored to play with either band again. Each band surprised me at different times and at different ways. Blind Sighted, as I said, came all the way from Houston, TX. I wish I could give you some more information, but unfortunately it will have to wait until I receive their disc (Don't Forget Guys!). I believe their lineup was acoustic guitar, lead guitar, vocals, bass and drums, but I feel like I am leaving someone out. Sheila is the lead singer and did a really nice job. She has a good stage presence and a really nice voice. Tim Del Torro is the lead guitar player and he is quite good. Great sound, great use of technology and a pretty hot player. Hopefully they will send me along their web information with their CD so I can post it. Euzoa, from Steamboat Springs, CO, is a very tight, smooth and professional band. Very clean sound and polished. They also have an equally well produce CD entitled On The Road. Euzoa consists of Jodi Feeley on Lead Vocals, Neal Marchman on Electric Guitar, Jeremy MacGray on Acoustic Guitar, Kurt Wipperfurth on Drums, Cindy MacGray on Keyboards and Daniel Adams on Bass. Unfortunately, Cindy and Daniel don't appear on this first CD. They came along after production was complete. Again, Euzoa is a great bunch of people and a very good band. If you like a lighter style of contemporary worship music, Euzoa is for you. Euzoa can be reached at euzoaband@yahoo.com. Now, I truly hope no one is offended by any of this because I don't mean it derogatorily in any way. Some of this simply comes down to personal taste. Both bands, Blind Sighted and Euzoa, played really well, sounded great and did a very good job. But I was not really too impressed by Blind Sighted when they first played on Monday. Its not that they weren't good, its just that I wasn't moved. However, when they played again on Thursday I had a much different opinion. Euzoa, on the other hand, I thought did really well on Monday but didn't nearly impress me as much on Thurs. Now, that really just could have been a matter of the context. Euzoa is a pretty light band for the most part. They say that the are trying to hit a spot right between Christian Rock and Contemporary Worship and I think that they have succeeded perfectly. So when most of the other bands on Thursday got the house jamming pretty well, Euzoa seemed kind of flat in comparison. Its not really a judgment just an observation. The audience as a whole simply did not respond the same as they did with the other bands. They played wonderfully both times and were an extremely tight and well polished band; Great vocals, great guitar work, nice music. But I fully expected Blind Sighted to make it to the final round and not Euzoa. But in fact, Euzoa was one of the final three. Congratulations to Euzoa 'cause they did a great job and deserved it. And remember, when I say jamming well, its not all about how hard someone is rocking, its just about how well they are doing performing their music. Its also a matter of how much they get the crowd involved. That is what is important, not how hard or how soft they are. Before I move on there was another very good band that didn't get past the first cut. On the Road Less Traveled did a great job and sounded great. OtRLT is a 5 piece band from Aurora, CO. I would have to call their stuff more along the lines of a folk rock or alternative rock. The band is Tony Schenk on vocals, piano and guitar; Jon deRidder on vocals and guitar; Kent Wiersema on backing vocals (and percussion if I have this all right); Jon Watkins on Bass and Josh Tisley on drums. Unfortunately I don't think they have a website but you can contact them at 303-766-1106 or write to On the Road Less Traveled, 15796 East Kenyon Ave, Aurora CO 80013. Now we get down to two of the most notable bands in the show: 24 Wet Feet and Intrepid, both from the Denver metro area. 24 Wet Feet is quite an astounding group of individuals. Ric Cori on guitar and vocals, Rob Cori on drums, Linda Shay on lead guitar and backing vocals and Dave Thomas on Bass and Backing vocals. This band is one of the most dynamic and professional indie bands I have heard in a long time. They played three songs which are included on a demo CD by Ric Cori. Kickin' All the Way, Remember, and None. Each song is just an incredibly well written and was equally well performed by the band. Ric has an incredible voice, which is backed up quite well by Linda and Dave. Linda, well, Linda is a SHREDDER! I went up to her after the competition and said "Hey, you play pretty good for a girl!" She laughed, so I assume she took it in the spirit in which it was intended. I mean, I was really impressed. She rocked. Two hand tapping and the whole bit. Man, what a player. She plays a Hamer signed by Jennifer Batton, one of her guitar heroes. It's no surprise either. Linda, I take my hat off to you. Dave Thomas was no slouch either. Toward the end of one of their tunes, Kickin', I think, Dave comes out front and does a killer little bass solo. Just a slappin' and a poppin' that poor bass into submission. He had the whole crowd whoopin and hollerin. I don't want to leave out Rob now. Boy, two brothers, so close in age able to share music together is just too cool. And these guys are natural together. Rob isn't a real flashy drummer (I don't remember if he did a solo or not). But he is a solid player providing a great foundation for his brother's tunes. I gotta tell you, I just can't say enough about 24 Wet Feet. This band was really impressive. They had it all: great songs, wonderful balance, excellent vocals and musicianship and a wonderful stage presence lead by Ric. The whole band and package was simply fantastic. Not too hard, not too soft. Melodic. Refined. Polished. As professional a band as you can find. Hats off to the whole band, really. You guys rock. A great up note for them, though, is that Ric Cori won first place in the Pop/Rock category of the Songwriting Competition. That is excellent and well deserved. Unfortunately the only information I have for 24WF is an email address and phone for Ric: rjc_csi@yahoo.com and 303-255-2501. They have promised to provide me with a web address as soon as they get one. And now we have arrived at the winners of the competition, Intrepid from Aurora, CO! Congratulations Intrepid! Intrepid is actually a 6 piece band, but performed as only 5 at the competition since their drummer is away on missions in Africa. It didn't seem to cause them any trouble, obviously, as they went on ahead with a "more toned down set" in his absence and did a fantastic job in the competition. The band consists of Mark Labriola on lead vocals and "things that shake and jingle"; Adam Paulson who played percussion the whole time since their drummer was missing, but who also plays guitar on their CD; James Rightmer on acoustic guitar and backing vocals; Nate Phillips on Bass; Shaul Hagen who was missing on drums and finally Isaac Jorgensen on lead guitar and shared lead vocals. These guys were another kind of alternative, semi acoustic rock band. I kinda think of their music as Jars of Clay meets Creed. Not as heavy as Creed but definitely a lot more moving than Jars of Clay. They played very well through each phase of the competition and obviously took it away at the end. They played several tunes off their Broken Demo CD; Stormy Waters, Trust Without Interpretation and Walking Blind. The songs are lyrically very deep. Musically I am probably not a fair judge since I simply don't care for the "alternative" style. I must say that I was pretty impressed with Isaac. Both he and Mark have great voices, but Isaac also did a wonderful job of playing his acoustic guitar. He pulled some leads and was extremely consistent with his finger picking, which is hard enough to do in the first place, let alone in a competition. Intrepid does not yet have a website, but they do have email and can be contacted at intrepidlove@hotmail.com. So that is the Seminar In the Rockies according to Gene. The most basic synopsis of the event that I can give. I guess I should also mention that I took some pretty cool classes on various aspects of the industry and met some great people. My deep thanks to all the teachers and professionals that I met there. Now to the hard part. I have some, well, opinions about the band competition as a whole, both from the perspective of a participant and an observer. And before I go any further, I have to warn you that some folks, GMA representatives and some seminar competitors in particular, may not like what I have to say. You have been duly warned. If you care to read about my opinions, click here. |
July 28, '00 Well, two more days till we leave for Estes Park. Please keep us in your prayers. Nothing like getting diagnosed with an Ear and Upper Respiratory Infection a week before you go to compete in a national talent competition! :) Ain't life grand?! We have one more rehearsal tomorrow, then its up the mountain. I'm not particularly worried. We have been playing for a long time and the music is pretty darn tight. The uncertainties of the environment and the competition itself will add to the adventure, but I am confident that we are going to rock. We're planning to win the competition. I mean, we have to think that way, right? What's the point in going up there to loose? :) I know we are going to kick some butt. Our music is good and our band is tight. We are going to rock the house. Whether we are what the GMA is looking for in a CCM talent competition or not, well, that is another story. :) The bottom line is that what God chooses to do with our performance is up to Him. Whether we rock or we suck. Whether we win or we loose. Its not up to us. We are going to do the best we can and most importantly have some fun. Our desire is to bring glory to His name and to be witnesses for his Truth. That is all. Oh! Another review excerpt posted on the Reviews page. You can find the entire review at Crosshome.com. |
July 20, '00 8:56pm MDT. Just got off the phone with Rich at KRKS. Going to arrive down at the station about 8pm (if we can find the place) and go on air sometime around 8:30 or so. Then I guess we will hang out and chat until Rich gets sick of us and kicks us out. Remember, 8:30pm-ish, Saturday, 7/22/00, 94.7 FM The Invasion on KRKS. Unfortunately, KRKS does NOT have a webcast (going to talk to Rich about that). So unless you are in Denver Metro, you're going to miss it. BUT! It just so happens that I just did an interview with GetChristianMusic.com (http://www.getchristianmusic.com/AGint.html)! So, why don't you log in around 8:30 pm Denver time and you can read the interview and pretend its on the radio! Yeah! That's the ticket! P.S. I passed the interview by Bob. He had nothing to add except to correct my spelling of REEL BIG FISH. :) Carl? Well, that boy just gotta get ONLINE! |
July 10, '00 America Gomorrah has been asked to do an on air interview with Rich Cattarello of the KRKS Invasion (94.7 FM). We have the interview scheduled for Saturday, July 22nd, in anticipation of our competition at Seminar in the Rockies, the first week of August. Please tune in to 94.7 Saturday July 22nd. If you have any questions, please call in 303-696-1971. You can also use that number to request America Gomorrah tunes! :) |
July 05, '00 So, anyone ever heard of HM Magazine? Apparently it used to be called Heaven's Metal. Now its just HM - "Your Hard Music Authority". Well, AG's Exchanging Truth for a Lie is scheduled to be reviewed in HM's September / October issue. We will also have two songs on their Hard Music Sampler CD which accompanies all subscriptions. I do not know if the sampler will be included with magazines purchased in book stores or not. So, maybe you want to subscribe right now... We are all registered for the Seminar in the Rockies in Estes Park from August 1 - 5. We will be competing in their National Talent Search. I wonder what will develop from that. Record label folks from all over should be there. Pray for us, please. |
June 21, '00 And then there were three...again. It is with much regret that I must announce Bill Michael's departure from the band. As a single, working parent, it became increasingly clear to Bill over the last month that he could not effectively participate in the band and be the father that his daughter deserves. So Bill was forced to make the obvious choice of resigning from AG in exchange for being a proper father. While we are disappointed with this unexpected turn, America Gomorrah supports Bill fully in this decision and we wish him the best. The Lord brought Bill to us at a time when we really needed him. His effort and contributions to the band are greatly appreciated and we thank both Bill and the Lord for them. So! Now we are again faced with a bit of a dilemma. Anyone know a good guitarist in the Denver area? The Seminar in the Rockies will go as planned. However, I am not quite sure how at this point... Just remember that syncing to tape has been going on for a long time and its perfectly acceptable. :) The problem with Millie Vanillie was that they had the ENTIRE MIX on tape... |
June 6, '00 America Gomorrah is pleased to announce that online credit card processing is now available from the Order page. We are still accepting checks if you prefer, but now there is no need to deal with the hassle of writing and sending checks. We are using the latest SSL encryption technology available through Rich Media Technology's Just Add Commerce so there is nothing to fear about the security of your information. We also want to announce that we will be competing at the GMA's Seminar in the Rockies (formerly called Praise in the Rockies) at Estes Park, CO coming up in August. We will follow with more details as we have them. Thanks to all the folks who have ordered their CDs already. The response has been awesome and we really, truly appreciate all the killer comments you have made. We are absolutely overjoyed at your response to our music. Thank you and praise God! |
May, '25 Man! Late again! Well, our world radio debut happened a bit earlier than expected. Last Saturday, May 20th, at 11pm MDT, America Gomorrah debuted on the KRKS Invasion! Indeed. Great thanks to Rich Cattarello and Jay Michaels! Truth for a Lie was America Gomorrah's first song to hit the airwaves. Followed immediately after by Revelation 101, in its entirety, surprisingly including the full sound effect sequence at the end! Again, much thanks to Rich and Jay. Be sure to tune in this week, KRKS 94.7 FM when the Invasion expects to play two more cuts from the album! Note: Links to three album reviews are now posted on the music page. DURP.com, Strutter'zine and Psalmist.net. |
May, '00 Ooops. Sorry I'm late. Its been a busy month here in Gomorrahland. Discs are selling well and the response has been fantastic. Folks from all over, all backgrounds, are loving it. I am so blessed. The response so far has been all that I had hoped for. Glory to God! Sent a disc over to Rich Cattarello of KRKS (94.7FM). Rich hosts the Saturday night Invasion program which runs from 7:05pm to midnight. He was blown away. Said he couldn't allow himself to just slap it into the CD player. He is building it up for the "World Radio Premier of America Gomorrah" on May 27th. Be sure to tune in. :) Have received some reviews from a variety of people and places. Here are a few highlights: "Musically, this whole CD is put together amazingly well. Not a hollow feeling throughout. Thick and meaty with each song, proving that these boys know what they need to accomplish, and do it above and beyond the call." |
April 18, '00 Praise God. The discs are in. Please, help yourself on the Order page. Get one for a friend too! The disc sounds awesome, IMHO of course. I am so pleased that I can offer this little gift for the Glory of God. I pray that He will use it mightily. And I also pray that you enjoy it as much as I do. Please let us know how you like it. Man. There were many times that I didn't think I would see this day. And all I can say is that miracles do occur, God does have His hand in the lives of His Children, and He is a gracious and merciful God. I hope He's a friend of yours. |
March 00 The disc is mixed. We are reviewing the CD while we wait for the final artwork to be completed. RELEASE
DATE FOR
AMERICA GOMORRAH - EXCHANGING TRUTH FOR A LIE IS APRIL 18, 2000! If all goes as planned, God willing, our CD will be released and available for sale from this website on Tuesday, 4/18! |
February 00 February 24, '00 - I have just completed mixing all the tracks for the CD. Let me tell you, this was a much more difficult process than I had expected. I mean, all the tracks were basically premixed and have been for a while. But the minute details which are going to make this disc a masterpiece were far more complex than I imagined. And may I add that I am continually blown away at how awesome it sounds. I praise God for working through me to produce this disc. I pray that you will find it as edifying as I do. I will now begin mastering and burn copies for the band's review. We will be critically listening or a week or so while I begin working with the graphic design firm which is doing the layout for the liner notes. If there are any further tweaks that need to be done, we will do them shortly and then the master should be off to duplication by mid March at the latest(!). Thanks for your patience and I promise it will be worth the wait! Ok, fine - Jan. 31, '00. Praise God! America Gomorrah is now a 4 piece. We just invited a guitarist to join our band. Please welcome Bill Michaels (thunderous applause from all). Bill promises to be a very interesting addition indeed. Time may find Bill actually playing some keys as well someday. We'll have to see how things pan out. We are all very excited. Glory to God for sovereignly bringing this man to us. Awesome. Ok. Back to mixing. |
January 00 Jan. 20, '00 to be exact. I just finished laying the final guitar lead. All the tracking is done, thank God. Now its mix time. This should be fun. Actually, most of the tracks are pretty well pre-mixed already. However some, like the 12 + minute Through a Glass Darkly should make for an interesting few days. We'll see. But, it's getting closer! Just one final hurdle and the CDs will be available. Keep praying! |
December 99 Getting chilly here in Denver - finally. Hopefully there will be some snow to ski on when this disc goes off to duplication. Laying final tracks - still. I know, I know. Get it done already. Well, nobody wants this disc completed as bad as I do, but I am not going to release it until it is as good as possible. And trust me, it will be worth the wait! Better get yourself some tight-fitting socks, cause this CD just might knock them off! oh, and...Merry CHRISTmas! |
November 99 Met with the duplication company. Started discussing preliminary design ideas for the packaging. I did a mockup of the disk case and artwork and, I must say, it looks pretty killer. I think it's going to be hard for people to believe that we did this product without any major label backing. And entirely self financed and produced as well. Thanks be to God. It's only due to Him that this product will be available. Also had a new logo designed for the band. You might have noticed that on your way into the site. It's now our new splash page. Pretty killer, eh? Yes indeedy. Thanks much to Ken Westphal and Westphal Illustration. Very talented, very gracious, very generous. Check him out! http://www.kenwestphal.com. |
October 99 All the drum lines are down. Basses are almost complete. Laying Background vocals. Mixing away....Man, this disc is gonna ROCK! Did a photo shoot last weekend. Got some really nice photos for the CD liner and website. If you need a good photographer, may I suggest http://www.danknudson.com. |
September 99 Wait a minute. Did I say September for the release? I meant September for the completion of the disk. Unfortunately, then we have duplication. Its going to be a while yet before I can get disks into your hands. But God's timing is still perfect! And, also unfortunately, we are still looking for a guitarist. Although there were many excellent prospects which contacted us, apparently the one wasn't among them. Oh well. I'm sure God will provide when the time is right. |
August 99 Still working on auditions. The group is narrowing down and we should be announcing our newest member soon! But we are still looking for a keyboardist! If anyone knows of anyone, please let me know. Also still working on the CD. Looking at September now for the release. With all the guitarist hunting and other daily grind stuff (like this site), its taking longer than we had hoped. Who would have guessed. But all in God's time, right? His timing is perfect. |
July 99 America Gomorrah is currently auditioning guitarists for the band. Several good prospects have contacted us. We are extremely hopeful and grateful to the Lord for providing us with such and excellent group to choose from. |
June 99 This month we are finishing up arrangements on a couple of tunes. We are all working to get our parts ready for laying final tracks. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
America Gomorrah Original Christian Progressive Rock Melodic Rock and Roll Heavy Metal Rock Progressive Rock Progressive Metal Prog Rock Progrock Prog Metal Progmetal Art Rock Art Metal Original Music Real Audio MP3 Music Samples Jesus Christ Christian Rock Christian Metal Jesus Rock Denver Colorado America Gomorrah America Gomorrah America Gomorrah
 |
 |