26th October 2009: Monday Mosh #19
Hi, Vaughan here with another Monday Mosh. On the weekend just gone we played a gig at the school where I teach, John Wollaston Anglican Community School. The conditions were extremely windy, and being outdoors, it was hard to not get blown off the stage. We were determined to continue however, and played through our entire set. Thanks in particular go to Chloe, Toby (ex students of mine) and Chloe’s mum, who stayed up front for the whole show despite the terrible conditions. Also, there was a group of younger students from year 7 who moshed it up as well. That kind of support for the band never goes unnoticed! It was great to get to school Monday morning and hear direct from the principal that she thought the band was terrific. It is intimidating playing in front of so many staff and students, but we’re really happy with how it went.
In the last few months we have been trying a few things to grow the band. I’d really like to encourage everyone to help us out by doing the following:
Join the Mosher Crew – it’s free and can be done through our website at www.graveforsaken.com , just click on the Mosher Crew link
Become our friend on myspace – our site is www.myspace.com/graveforsaken
Become a fan of the band on Facebook, we have a Grave Forsaken page over there. I’m also happy to take friend requests from supporters on my personal facebook page (search for Vaughan Gregory, and mention GF when you make the friend request). We’re starting to use facebook more and more to communicate band info
Start following us on Twitter – Richo has set us up over there as well
We want to make the GF experience as interactive and fun as it can be. Also, I always enjoy getting emails from supporters of the band, so if you have any suggestions on other ways we can grow the band, please email me at graveforsaken@graveforsaken.com and we can chat. It’s always nice to hear from you.
The next gig is on November 7th at the Castle in Northbridge (it’s becoming a very regular gig for us). I don’t know time or lineup yet, but that info will be available through our site, myspace, facebook and twitter etc as soon as we know. Thanks to Paula for booking us – hopefully we can put on a good performance for you.
Thanks for all the emails about the hard copy release of Light The Hall. It is well on it’s way, and we aim to have it out before the end of the year. There’s one or two little things we need to get done to make the package the best possible value, but it is all nearly done. We are initially printing 100, and if they sell out we will definitely be making more. A big thanks to Rowland from Iron Guardian Industries for his support and enthusiasm for this project. It’s taking on a bigger scope than I ever envisioned, but I’m finding with God’s help that that kind of thing is happening more and more these days.
We are also working Friday nights on the next studio album. We are working with Dan Holmes at Fattdog Studio again. The album follows in the footsteps of songs like No News and Wasting Power from the last record. We are going for a beefier production on this one, with a strong guitar sound with lots of leads. I’ve tried to write a new batch of catchy lyrics that will hopefully go over well live. We get a few raised eyebrows for putting out so many albums, but most of my favourite albums come from bands who were doing an album a year during their most creative peak. I just think it’s a fun and rewarding way to work. Besides, you try and tell Shreds he’s got to stop writing riffs for a year. The man is a riff machine who is constantly (and I do mean CONSTANTLY!) coming out with new song ideas. I don’t doubt for a moment that Shreds has already written most of the 5th and 6th album before we’ve finished recording the 4th. He is seriously considering doing a solo album to bust a few of these ideas out of his head and onto a release. It is always the way we’ve worked. Destined For Ascension was written before River was released, and most of TDF was recorded just a few weeks after the release of Destined. I’m serious when I say you should expect an album an year from us for the forseeable future. We just love it too much.
Well thanks for checking in – and don’t forget to email me for a chat. If there’s anything you want discussed in a Monday Mosh, or any suggestions for an episode of GFTV, we are always open to suggestions. Thanks to everyone reading for your continued support of the band through prayer, attending shows, buying merch or spreading the word about the band to your mates. We truly appreciate it, and the band is currently in a very healthy place because of it. Until next time, God Bless and Mosh On!
Monday, October 26, 2009
19th October 2009: Monday Mosh #18
19th October 2009: Monday Mosh #18
First of all, I must apologise for the delay in getting this Monday Mosh out. I’m going to use that old favourite excuse of being too busy! Since we got back from Blackstump it has just been insane. However, it is a new week and I have a new Monday Mosh for you all.
Blackstump went sensationally well. It was a really fun weekend and a really cool show. It was so much fun just to hang out with everyone and have a great time. All the guys from the bands got on really well, and we’ve been discussing some exciting ideas about pushing the Australian scene forward over the coming months and years. Everyone is really committed to making something really cool. God willing we will see some real progress. Our next target is to get accepted for Easterfest in Queensland. It would be really cool to get there and hang out with the Queensland Mosher Crew. I just found out that Rez Band is playing, so from a personal point of view, seeing them would be a real highlight for me.
On the subject of Blackstump and how well it went, we made the decision to invite drummer Richard Sallows to join the band permanently. Richo has been great in the few months he’s been with us and truly deserves to be a full time member of the band. He has been open to constructive criticism and is going to amazing lengths to help promote the band and secure gigs. We hope Richard will be with us for a long time to come. From all of us at Grave Forsaken – welcome aboard Richard.
We have a gig this Saturday at the school where I teach – John Wollaston. We play at midday on the library steps. The school is located on Centre Road in Kelmscott, Western Australia. It would be great to see a few of you there. This is our last currently booked gig, but I’m sure some more dates will be confirmed in the near future.
We had a great time playing at the Castle on October 14th. It was full on flying back from Sydney, then gigging in Perth straight away. I’m starting to understand how bands feel when they’re on the road for a long stretch of time. It would just get relentless. Hopefully God will bless us with more opportunities so we can learn to grow together and Christians and friends.
I announced to the Mosher Crew last week that our live album Light The Hall! will be released on hard copy by Iron Guardian Industries over here in Perth. You can still download it from the members area of our official site at www.graveforsaken.com . You just need to join the Mosher Crew (which is free), then select a price you wish pay, starting at $0. We’ve had a few people download it for free, listen to it, then come back and pay. I am getting the feeling however that Grave Forsaken supporters like their hard copies, as I’ve had a number of inquiries about the physical release. The hard copy will come with a bonus Grave Forsaken documentary about our recent East Coast trip. Our new drummer Richard has worked hard to get this doco together, and I’m very pleased with his efforts. Obviously I’ll give you all more details as they come to hand. I should add that in no way does this deal with IGI affect our relationship with Soundmass. We are working closely with them on future projects also.
That about wraps it for now. I will put out another Mosh next week as originally scheduled, then back to every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. Until then, God Bless and Rock On!
First of all, I must apologise for the delay in getting this Monday Mosh out. I’m going to use that old favourite excuse of being too busy! Since we got back from Blackstump it has just been insane. However, it is a new week and I have a new Monday Mosh for you all.
Blackstump went sensationally well. It was a really fun weekend and a really cool show. It was so much fun just to hang out with everyone and have a great time. All the guys from the bands got on really well, and we’ve been discussing some exciting ideas about pushing the Australian scene forward over the coming months and years. Everyone is really committed to making something really cool. God willing we will see some real progress. Our next target is to get accepted for Easterfest in Queensland. It would be really cool to get there and hang out with the Queensland Mosher Crew. I just found out that Rez Band is playing, so from a personal point of view, seeing them would be a real highlight for me.
On the subject of Blackstump and how well it went, we made the decision to invite drummer Richard Sallows to join the band permanently. Richo has been great in the few months he’s been with us and truly deserves to be a full time member of the band. He has been open to constructive criticism and is going to amazing lengths to help promote the band and secure gigs. We hope Richard will be with us for a long time to come. From all of us at Grave Forsaken – welcome aboard Richard.
We have a gig this Saturday at the school where I teach – John Wollaston. We play at midday on the library steps. The school is located on Centre Road in Kelmscott, Western Australia. It would be great to see a few of you there. This is our last currently booked gig, but I’m sure some more dates will be confirmed in the near future.
We had a great time playing at the Castle on October 14th. It was full on flying back from Sydney, then gigging in Perth straight away. I’m starting to understand how bands feel when they’re on the road for a long stretch of time. It would just get relentless. Hopefully God will bless us with more opportunities so we can learn to grow together and Christians and friends.
I announced to the Mosher Crew last week that our live album Light The Hall! will be released on hard copy by Iron Guardian Industries over here in Perth. You can still download it from the members area of our official site at www.graveforsaken.com . You just need to join the Mosher Crew (which is free), then select a price you wish pay, starting at $0. We’ve had a few people download it for free, listen to it, then come back and pay. I am getting the feeling however that Grave Forsaken supporters like their hard copies, as I’ve had a number of inquiries about the physical release. The hard copy will come with a bonus Grave Forsaken documentary about our recent East Coast trip. Our new drummer Richard has worked hard to get this doco together, and I’m very pleased with his efforts. Obviously I’ll give you all more details as they come to hand. I should add that in no way does this deal with IGI affect our relationship with Soundmass. We are working closely with them on future projects also.
That about wraps it for now. I will put out another Mosh next week as originally scheduled, then back to every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. Until then, God Bless and Rock On!
Monday, September 28, 2009
28th September 2009: Monday Mosh #17
28th September 2009: Monday Mosh #17
Hi everyone and thanks for checking out the latest Monday Mosh. We are very pleased to confirm to the Mosher Crew that our downloadable live album Light The Hall! is now available from the members area of the website at www.graveforsaken.com . You can head over there and download the whole album or the individual tracks as a pay what you like download. You can choose to pay $0 if you like. We’d love everyone to grab themselves a copy, even if you can’t afford to give us any money for it. Simply choose your price, then add the album or song to the cart. If you choose $0, it will automatically open a download window. If you nominate a price, you will go to a paypal interface. I have worked extremely hard on this recording to make it best possible live album we can offer for our resources. So far it has passed the only real test I can give it – I’m happy with it! Being my own worst critic, this is a good feeling. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, you can join up for free by clicking on the Mosher Crew section of our website.
On the subject of the live album, I’m excited to let you know we are in negotiations with a local label here in Perth to produce a limited run of Light The Hall! hard copies. We’ve had quite a few enquiries about a hard copy release, and I can pretty much assure you that it will happen now. We are committed to working with Soundmass for future studio albums, but we’re just testing the water with this local label with regards to live albums. Traditionally live albums don’t sell as well as studio albums, so we need to explore ways of making the release viable. I’m hoping we can formulate a healthy relationship between ourselves, Soundmass and this particular local Perth label over the coming months and years.
Of course, it’s a madly busy time for the band. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Sydney to play at Blackstump on Friday night. Please check out www.blackstump.org.au for all the details. It will be a massive night of Australian metal. The kind of gig I’d consider going to even if GF wasn’t playing. We really look forward to meeting members of the East Coast Mosher Crew while we are there, as well as catching up with all our good friends in the other bands. We’re talking Synnove, Fearscape, Dei Elithion, InExordium and Those Who Endure. Wow, it doesn’t get much better than that over here in Oz!
We are taking over 2 new shirt designs to debut at the festival. We have a Tour 2009 shirt and a 5 Years And Beyond Shirt available. These will be available from our website a week or so after stump for all you people who can’t get to the gig. We are planning a bit of a merch blitz at stump. We will have 4 CD’s, plus 5 different clothing designs on sale at very reasonable prices. We’re hoping heaps of stumpers will get into the spirit and pick up some GF merch for themselves. Let’s make it a Christian thrash weekend!
We have been booked to play at the Castle in Perth the week after stump on October 10th. This is being organized by our main man Rowland Gwynne. The guy is better known as IronGuardian and he’s a true champ. He’s on a plane right now heading for Sydney to attend the metal night at Stump – that’s his dedication. This Castle gigs puts our tally to 3 shows for October, which is the most in one month for a very long time. I really can’t help but feel God has his hands on the wheel at the moment, we really are going through a time of great blessing. Better and better opportunities are coming our way all the time, and I really feel God’s influence on it all. It’s crazy that our little garage band is about to make it’s third interstate tour in support of it’s 3rd full length album. These kind of achievements were pie in the sky fantasies for me 5 years ago – now with God’s grace it’s all a reality. We really are the luckiest 5 blokes on the planet getting to do what we love in service of God. He truly is a magnificent God who’s grace is limitless.
One last thing – the latest episode of GFTV is now up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqF4QixKTo . This episode chronicles Richard’s first gig with the band a couple of weeks ago, and features a full rendition of This Day Forth with the new lineup. Make sure you check it out.
Well, I’m going to leave it there for another fortnight. I still have some last minute packing to do. The Mosher Crew October newsetter will go out next week, and then the next Monday Mosh will be the week after that. Until then, God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh – 12th October 2009
Hi everyone and thanks for checking out the latest Monday Mosh. We are very pleased to confirm to the Mosher Crew that our downloadable live album Light The Hall! is now available from the members area of the website at www.graveforsaken.com . You can head over there and download the whole album or the individual tracks as a pay what you like download. You can choose to pay $0 if you like. We’d love everyone to grab themselves a copy, even if you can’t afford to give us any money for it. Simply choose your price, then add the album or song to the cart. If you choose $0, it will automatically open a download window. If you nominate a price, you will go to a paypal interface. I have worked extremely hard on this recording to make it best possible live album we can offer for our resources. So far it has passed the only real test I can give it – I’m happy with it! Being my own worst critic, this is a good feeling. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, you can join up for free by clicking on the Mosher Crew section of our website.
On the subject of the live album, I’m excited to let you know we are in negotiations with a local label here in Perth to produce a limited run of Light The Hall! hard copies. We’ve had quite a few enquiries about a hard copy release, and I can pretty much assure you that it will happen now. We are committed to working with Soundmass for future studio albums, but we’re just testing the water with this local label with regards to live albums. Traditionally live albums don’t sell as well as studio albums, so we need to explore ways of making the release viable. I’m hoping we can formulate a healthy relationship between ourselves, Soundmass and this particular local Perth label over the coming months and years.
Of course, it’s a madly busy time for the band. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Sydney to play at Blackstump on Friday night. Please check out www.blackstump.org.au for all the details. It will be a massive night of Australian metal. The kind of gig I’d consider going to even if GF wasn’t playing. We really look forward to meeting members of the East Coast Mosher Crew while we are there, as well as catching up with all our good friends in the other bands. We’re talking Synnove, Fearscape, Dei Elithion, InExordium and Those Who Endure. Wow, it doesn’t get much better than that over here in Oz!
We are taking over 2 new shirt designs to debut at the festival. We have a Tour 2009 shirt and a 5 Years And Beyond Shirt available. These will be available from our website a week or so after stump for all you people who can’t get to the gig. We are planning a bit of a merch blitz at stump. We will have 4 CD’s, plus 5 different clothing designs on sale at very reasonable prices. We’re hoping heaps of stumpers will get into the spirit and pick up some GF merch for themselves. Let’s make it a Christian thrash weekend!
We have been booked to play at the Castle in Perth the week after stump on October 10th. This is being organized by our main man Rowland Gwynne. The guy is better known as IronGuardian and he’s a true champ. He’s on a plane right now heading for Sydney to attend the metal night at Stump – that’s his dedication. This Castle gigs puts our tally to 3 shows for October, which is the most in one month for a very long time. I really can’t help but feel God has his hands on the wheel at the moment, we really are going through a time of great blessing. Better and better opportunities are coming our way all the time, and I really feel God’s influence on it all. It’s crazy that our little garage band is about to make it’s third interstate tour in support of it’s 3rd full length album. These kind of achievements were pie in the sky fantasies for me 5 years ago – now with God’s grace it’s all a reality. We really are the luckiest 5 blokes on the planet getting to do what we love in service of God. He truly is a magnificent God who’s grace is limitless.
One last thing – the latest episode of GFTV is now up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqF4QixKTo . This episode chronicles Richard’s first gig with the band a couple of weeks ago, and features a full rendition of This Day Forth with the new lineup. Make sure you check it out.
Well, I’m going to leave it there for another fortnight. I still have some last minute packing to do. The Mosher Crew October newsetter will go out next week, and then the next Monday Mosh will be the week after that. Until then, God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh – 12th October 2009
28th September 2009: Monday Mosh #17
28th September 2009: Monday Mosh #17
Hi everyone and thanks for checking out the latest Monday Mosh. We are very pleased to confirm to the Mosher Crew that our downloadable live album Light The Hall! is now available from the members area of the website at www.graveforsaken.com . You can head over there and download the whole album or the individual tracks as a pay what you like download. You can choose to pay $0 if you like. We’d love everyone to grab themselves a copy, even if you can’t afford to give us any money for it. Simply choose your price, then add the album or song to the cart. If you choose $0, it will automatically open a download window. If you nominate a price, you will go to a paypal interface. I have worked extremely hard on this recording to make it best possible live album we can offer for our resources. So far it has passed the only real test I can give it – I’m happy with it! Being my own worst critic, this is a good feeling. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, you can join up for free by clicking on the Mosher Crew section of our website.
On the subject of the live album, I’m excited to let you know we are in negotiations with a local label here in Perth to produce a limited run of Light The Hall! hard copies. We’ve had quite a few enquiries about a hard copy release, and I can pretty much assure you that it will happen now. We are committed to working with Soundmass for future studio albums, but we’re just testing the water with this local label with regards to live albums. Traditionally live albums don’t sell as well as studio albums, so we need to explore ways of making the release viable. I’m hoping we can formulate a healthy relationship between ourselves, Soundmass and this particular local Perth label over the coming months and years.
Of course, it’s a madly busy time for the band. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Sydney to play at Blackstump on Friday night. Please check out www.blackstump.org.au for all the details. It will be a massive night of Australian metal. The kind of gig I’d consider going to even if GF wasn’t playing. We really look forward to meeting members of the East Coast Mosher Crew while we are there, as well as catching up with all our good friends in the other bands. We’re talking Synnove, Fearscape, Dei Elithion, InExordium and Those Who Endure. Wow, it doesn’t get much better than that over here in Oz!
We are taking over 2 new shirt designs to debut at the festival. We have a Tour 2009 shirt and a 5 Years And Beyond Shirt available. These will be available from our website a week or so after stump for all you people who can’t get to the gig. We are planning a bit of a merch blitz at stump. We will have 4 CD’s, plus 5 different clothing designs on sale at very reasonable prices. We’re hoping heaps of stumpers will get into the spirit and pick up some GF merch for themselves. Let’s make it a Christian thrash weekend!
We have been booked to play at the Castle in Perth the week after stump on October 10th. This is being organized by our main man Rowland Gwynne. The guy is better known as IronGuardian and he’s a true champ. He’s on a plane right now heading for Sydney to attend the metal night at Stump – that’s his dedication. This Castle gigs puts our tally to 3 shows for October, which is the most in one month for a very long time. I really can’t help but feel God has his hands on the wheel at the moment, we really are going through a time of great blessing. Better and better opportunities are coming our way all the time, and I really feel God’s influence on it all. It’s crazy that our little garage band is about to make it’s third interstate tour in support of it’s 3rd full length album. These kind of achievements were pie in the sky fantasies for me 5 years ago – now with God’s grace it’s all a reality. We really are the luckiest 5 blokes on the planet getting to do what we love in service of God. He truly is a magnificent God who’s grace is limitless.
One last thing – the latest episode of GFTV is now up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqF4QixKTo . This episode chronicles Richard’s first gig with the band a couple of weeks ago, and features a full rendition of This Day Forth with the new lineup. Make sure you check it out.
Well, I’m going to leave it there for another fortnight. I still have some last minute packing to do. The Mosher Crew October newsetter will go out next week, and then the next Monday Mosh will be the week after that. Until then, God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh – 12th October 2009
Hi everyone and thanks for checking out the latest Monday Mosh. We are very pleased to confirm to the Mosher Crew that our downloadable live album Light The Hall! is now available from the members area of the website at www.graveforsaken.com . You can head over there and download the whole album or the individual tracks as a pay what you like download. You can choose to pay $0 if you like. We’d love everyone to grab themselves a copy, even if you can’t afford to give us any money for it. Simply choose your price, then add the album or song to the cart. If you choose $0, it will automatically open a download window. If you nominate a price, you will go to a paypal interface. I have worked extremely hard on this recording to make it best possible live album we can offer for our resources. So far it has passed the only real test I can give it – I’m happy with it! Being my own worst critic, this is a good feeling. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, you can join up for free by clicking on the Mosher Crew section of our website.
On the subject of the live album, I’m excited to let you know we are in negotiations with a local label here in Perth to produce a limited run of Light The Hall! hard copies. We’ve had quite a few enquiries about a hard copy release, and I can pretty much assure you that it will happen now. We are committed to working with Soundmass for future studio albums, but we’re just testing the water with this local label with regards to live albums. Traditionally live albums don’t sell as well as studio albums, so we need to explore ways of making the release viable. I’m hoping we can formulate a healthy relationship between ourselves, Soundmass and this particular local Perth label over the coming months and years.
Of course, it’s a madly busy time for the band. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Sydney to play at Blackstump on Friday night. Please check out www.blackstump.org.au for all the details. It will be a massive night of Australian metal. The kind of gig I’d consider going to even if GF wasn’t playing. We really look forward to meeting members of the East Coast Mosher Crew while we are there, as well as catching up with all our good friends in the other bands. We’re talking Synnove, Fearscape, Dei Elithion, InExordium and Those Who Endure. Wow, it doesn’t get much better than that over here in Oz!
We are taking over 2 new shirt designs to debut at the festival. We have a Tour 2009 shirt and a 5 Years And Beyond Shirt available. These will be available from our website a week or so after stump for all you people who can’t get to the gig. We are planning a bit of a merch blitz at stump. We will have 4 CD’s, plus 5 different clothing designs on sale at very reasonable prices. We’re hoping heaps of stumpers will get into the spirit and pick up some GF merch for themselves. Let’s make it a Christian thrash weekend!
We have been booked to play at the Castle in Perth the week after stump on October 10th. This is being organized by our main man Rowland Gwynne. The guy is better known as IronGuardian and he’s a true champ. He’s on a plane right now heading for Sydney to attend the metal night at Stump – that’s his dedication. This Castle gigs puts our tally to 3 shows for October, which is the most in one month for a very long time. I really can’t help but feel God has his hands on the wheel at the moment, we really are going through a time of great blessing. Better and better opportunities are coming our way all the time, and I really feel God’s influence on it all. It’s crazy that our little garage band is about to make it’s third interstate tour in support of it’s 3rd full length album. These kind of achievements were pie in the sky fantasies for me 5 years ago – now with God’s grace it’s all a reality. We really are the luckiest 5 blokes on the planet getting to do what we love in service of God. He truly is a magnificent God who’s grace is limitless.
One last thing – the latest episode of GFTV is now up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqF4QixKTo . This episode chronicles Richard’s first gig with the band a couple of weeks ago, and features a full rendition of This Day Forth with the new lineup. Make sure you check it out.
Well, I’m going to leave it there for another fortnight. I still have some last minute packing to do. The Mosher Crew October newsetter will go out next week, and then the next Monday Mosh will be the week after that. Until then, God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh – 12th October 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
14th September 2009: Monday Mosh #16
14th September 2009: Monday Mosh #16
G’day everyone, hope you’re all doing real well. Welcome to the latest edition of the Monday Mosh. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy reading the update.
We had our first show with Richard Sallows on drums on Saturday night. We played at the Castle in Northbridge, which is a regular gig spot for us. Richard did really well, and you certainly wouldn’t have known it was his first performance with the band. It was a very solid effort. As sometimes happens at Castle shows, there was a low turnout, though to be honest I didn’t mind, as this gig was as much about getting some live performances into Richard as it was about rocking a crowd. We all enjoyed ourselves, and learned a thing or two for next time as well. Our previous drummer Dave Kilgallon came along to watch the show, and it was good to catch up with him. It was also really good for Richard and Dave to meet. Sometimes member transitions can be awkward, but this one has gone really smooth, praise God.
It’s only two weeks until we fly to Sydney for Blackstump. We are really looking forward to this one, and I actually feel pretty organized for once! We are staying near Cronulla, so huge thanks to our good friend Mark Maley for putting us up. We have worked out our setlist – we will be playing songs from each album, as well as covering “The Destroyer Beholds” from Mortification. Hopefully the stump crowd will appreciate hearing that Aussie Christian metal classic. Rich has done a stellar job to learn the songs in rapid time, but I must say he has added his own feel and interpretation to the songs. Considering last time at stump we had Dave on drums, Tim on vocals and myself on guitar, the band we are taking this year is quite a different animal. However, I do feel we are playing very well at the moment, so we’ll go in with a lot of confidence. Bring it on I say.
We are playing this Sunday at East Fremantle Baptist Church. This is a youth group gig, so we’re not sure how many people to expect. We are using it as a dress rehearsal for own full production. We have put on our own shows in the past, but we are now looking to develop a stage show and act that we can take anywhere in the state. I have recruited Scott Devenish and Rowland Gwynne as crew, and we are going to take in our own PA and lighting and set up from scratch. The idea being that the band, along with a hard working road crew can put on an awesome live experience. We are really keen to become a very tight touring act. So wish as luck as we embark in this new phase of the metal mission.
I’m very excited this week to reveal the cover of the new live album “Light The Hall!”. You can see it at www.graveforsaken.com . This will be released to the Mosher Crew as a pay what you want download in 2 weeks on September 28th. The gig was recorded in July 2008, and features the lineup of myself, Elias, Matt and Dave. It’s raw and uncompromising live GF, as I’ve mixed and mastered it myself here at North Wind Studio. You can nominate to download it for free if you so wish, so now is a great time to join the Mosher Crew at www.graveforsaken.com . As I’ve already mentioned, I have looped and raised the crowd levels to add some ambience to the recording, however the actual performances were all recorded live on the night (with the exception of about half a dozen guitar and vocal overdubs Elias and I recorded here at the studio). The reality is most live albums are edited to an extent, but I’ve always believed that this process enhances the recording, and makes for a more enjoyable listen. Due to some good positive feedback, it’s increasingly likely there will be a hard copy issue of the album in the coming months to go with the download. To that end, I’m busy working on the booklet. The tracklist for the live album is
The Calling
Warriors Of Light
Perish The Thought
Destined For Ascension
Horror And Sadness
Harder To Hate
The North Wind
No Eye Has Seen
Wasting Power
Death On The Cross
Light The Hall
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to a cool feature we now have on the website www.graveforsaken.com . If you go to the mp3 store, you can actually preview every song we’ve ever released. These are full length previews, so if you’ve been meaning to check out the band but have never gotten around to it, this is the perfect place to do so. Literally every song we’ve ever done can be heard for free. Obviously if you like what you hear, we’d really appreciate you purchasing a song or an album via download. So far we’ve had a good amount of traffic, but I’m not sure everyone realizes just how cool this section of the site is.
Also, Richard has been busy working on the myspace site and a new darkjam site. The darkjam URL is http://darkjam.com/Grave_Forsaken so check it out. Richard has really taken his role in the band seriously and is fast becoming an indispensable asset for the group. The ideas and enthusiasm he has brought in are really helping band morale. I think you’ll agree the work he’s been doing on the myspace and darkjam sites is awesome.
Last week I finally put up the late episode of Grave Forsaken TV. The url is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBiMtmCKpYc . This episode is part 2 of my Grave Forsaken history series. There are some really interesting pictures and excerpts in the episode, so please check it out. Because this episode was so late, the next one is due next week. I’m well on schedule with that one, so look out for it on Monday. It will have some backstage and live footage from Richard’s debut with the band on Saturday night. Should be a cracker!
Finally, we have been working on a new range of shirts and hoodies. As we speak some new stuff is being made. We are really excited about the new designs, and can’t wait to make them available to you guys. Hopefully we’ll be able to unveil them at the stump show. So for all those people who been requesting our Mosher Crew hoodie, they’re coming back!!!
I think that’s everything for now. Our next Monday Mosh will be September 28th, just before we fly out to stump. Until then God bless and Rock on!
Next Monday Mosh – September 28th
G’day everyone, hope you’re all doing real well. Welcome to the latest edition of the Monday Mosh. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy reading the update.
We had our first show with Richard Sallows on drums on Saturday night. We played at the Castle in Northbridge, which is a regular gig spot for us. Richard did really well, and you certainly wouldn’t have known it was his first performance with the band. It was a very solid effort. As sometimes happens at Castle shows, there was a low turnout, though to be honest I didn’t mind, as this gig was as much about getting some live performances into Richard as it was about rocking a crowd. We all enjoyed ourselves, and learned a thing or two for next time as well. Our previous drummer Dave Kilgallon came along to watch the show, and it was good to catch up with him. It was also really good for Richard and Dave to meet. Sometimes member transitions can be awkward, but this one has gone really smooth, praise God.
It’s only two weeks until we fly to Sydney for Blackstump. We are really looking forward to this one, and I actually feel pretty organized for once! We are staying near Cronulla, so huge thanks to our good friend Mark Maley for putting us up. We have worked out our setlist – we will be playing songs from each album, as well as covering “The Destroyer Beholds” from Mortification. Hopefully the stump crowd will appreciate hearing that Aussie Christian metal classic. Rich has done a stellar job to learn the songs in rapid time, but I must say he has added his own feel and interpretation to the songs. Considering last time at stump we had Dave on drums, Tim on vocals and myself on guitar, the band we are taking this year is quite a different animal. However, I do feel we are playing very well at the moment, so we’ll go in with a lot of confidence. Bring it on I say.
We are playing this Sunday at East Fremantle Baptist Church. This is a youth group gig, so we’re not sure how many people to expect. We are using it as a dress rehearsal for own full production. We have put on our own shows in the past, but we are now looking to develop a stage show and act that we can take anywhere in the state. I have recruited Scott Devenish and Rowland Gwynne as crew, and we are going to take in our own PA and lighting and set up from scratch. The idea being that the band, along with a hard working road crew can put on an awesome live experience. We are really keen to become a very tight touring act. So wish as luck as we embark in this new phase of the metal mission.
I’m very excited this week to reveal the cover of the new live album “Light The Hall!”. You can see it at www.graveforsaken.com . This will be released to the Mosher Crew as a pay what you want download in 2 weeks on September 28th. The gig was recorded in July 2008, and features the lineup of myself, Elias, Matt and Dave. It’s raw and uncompromising live GF, as I’ve mixed and mastered it myself here at North Wind Studio. You can nominate to download it for free if you so wish, so now is a great time to join the Mosher Crew at www.graveforsaken.com . As I’ve already mentioned, I have looped and raised the crowd levels to add some ambience to the recording, however the actual performances were all recorded live on the night (with the exception of about half a dozen guitar and vocal overdubs Elias and I recorded here at the studio). The reality is most live albums are edited to an extent, but I’ve always believed that this process enhances the recording, and makes for a more enjoyable listen. Due to some good positive feedback, it’s increasingly likely there will be a hard copy issue of the album in the coming months to go with the download. To that end, I’m busy working on the booklet. The tracklist for the live album is
The Calling
Warriors Of Light
Perish The Thought
Destined For Ascension
Horror And Sadness
Harder To Hate
The North Wind
No Eye Has Seen
Wasting Power
Death On The Cross
Light The Hall
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to a cool feature we now have on the website www.graveforsaken.com . If you go to the mp3 store, you can actually preview every song we’ve ever released. These are full length previews, so if you’ve been meaning to check out the band but have never gotten around to it, this is the perfect place to do so. Literally every song we’ve ever done can be heard for free. Obviously if you like what you hear, we’d really appreciate you purchasing a song or an album via download. So far we’ve had a good amount of traffic, but I’m not sure everyone realizes just how cool this section of the site is.
Also, Richard has been busy working on the myspace site and a new darkjam site. The darkjam URL is http://darkjam.com/Grave_Forsaken so check it out. Richard has really taken his role in the band seriously and is fast becoming an indispensable asset for the group. The ideas and enthusiasm he has brought in are really helping band morale. I think you’ll agree the work he’s been doing on the myspace and darkjam sites is awesome.
Last week I finally put up the late episode of Grave Forsaken TV. The url is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBiMtmCKpYc . This episode is part 2 of my Grave Forsaken history series. There are some really interesting pictures and excerpts in the episode, so please check it out. Because this episode was so late, the next one is due next week. I’m well on schedule with that one, so look out for it on Monday. It will have some backstage and live footage from Richard’s debut with the band on Saturday night. Should be a cracker!
Finally, we have been working on a new range of shirts and hoodies. As we speak some new stuff is being made. We are really excited about the new designs, and can’t wait to make them available to you guys. Hopefully we’ll be able to unveil them at the stump show. So for all those people who been requesting our Mosher Crew hoodie, they’re coming back!!!
I think that’s everything for now. Our next Monday Mosh will be September 28th, just before we fly out to stump. Until then God bless and Rock on!
Next Monday Mosh – September 28th
Monday, August 24, 2009
24th August 2009: Monday Mosh #15
24th August 2009: Monday Mosh #15
Welcome everyone to the latest Monday Mosh. Vaughan here as usual, and I’ll get straight into it.
There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes in the Grave Forsaken camp in recent months. A few weeks ago I spoke to our drummer Dave Kilgallon at length on the phone, and we came to the mutual decision that he would no longer continue in the band. This will come as a surprise to many of you, and it really came as a bit of surprise to both Dave and I. In the context of addressing a few difficulties we were having getting the whole band together to rehearse, we both realized that the current lineup wasn’t quite working the way we’d hoped. It was a difficult conversation, but Dave and I are extremely close friends, so we knew we could trust each other to be honest about our feelings. I can truthfully say his departure was a mutual decision with no hint of animosity on either side. In fact, the way it was all handled is proof of how strong the trust is in our band.
So where does this leave the band? We have a big gig at Blackstump coming up in 6 or so weeks. Fortunately, a work friend of Matt’s by the name of Richard Sallows happens to be a drummer and a Christian. On a whim, Matt gave him a call to see if he wanted to jam with us. We had a rehearsal with him and it went well, so we have offered him a trial period in the band up until Blackstump. That gives as a few weeks to rehearse with him and see how the band dynamic goes with him, plus see how he performs in the live arena. After we have played stump with him, we will make an official decision on whether he will join the band permanently. Richard is great guy, and is doing his absolute best to get the job full time. He is into metal and rock, so he fits the bill perfectly. His drumming doesn’t have the thrashing intensity of Dave’s, but so far he has been very solid and easy to work with.
However, it isn’t quite the end of the line for the lineup featuring Dave. As I’ve been discussing in bits and pieces, we have been working with Daniel Holmes on some new material for our next album. Dave has been fully involved in this process and is keen to finish what we have started. So after stump in October, we will hit Fattdog Studio in earnest with the old lineup and record our next album, with a goal to getting the album ready for a mid 2010 release (hopefully). This release will be Dave’s farewell performance with the band, and we are very excited about what will be delivered. The fact that we can even do this is testament to the strength of our friendship with Dave. While the album is being recorded, our live shows will feature the new drummer, be that Richard or someone else.
So as you can see, we are very much in transition at the moment. We are essentially working with 2 drummers for the time being, but both are excellent people who are fully accepting and understanding of the other. So while it has been difficult, we have such a close bond in the band that I’m very confident and excited about the road ahead.
Richard’s first performance with the band will be at The Castle on September 12th. He probably feels like he’s been thrown into the lion’s den, but it will be great to have a show or two under his bullet belt before Black Stump. We are playing at a youth group the following day, and then we have some tentative stuff lined up post stump. Of course, I will keep you all informed.
It would be remiss of me to finish this edition without giving my heartfelt thanks to Dave for his contribution to the band over the last 2 years. We love you like a brother, and already we miss your presence in the band room. The way you have pushed our sound into another zone has been proof in the pudding of your awesome God given talent behind the drums. You are a valued friend, and we have shared experiences and times that I and the rest of Grave Forsaken will cherish forever. I’m so thrilled we can crank out one last album with you, and we are determined to make this the best GF album yet. We all look forward to the good times the future holds.
Until next time – God Bless and Mosh On.
Next Monday Mosh – September 14th.
Welcome everyone to the latest Monday Mosh. Vaughan here as usual, and I’ll get straight into it.
There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes in the Grave Forsaken camp in recent months. A few weeks ago I spoke to our drummer Dave Kilgallon at length on the phone, and we came to the mutual decision that he would no longer continue in the band. This will come as a surprise to many of you, and it really came as a bit of surprise to both Dave and I. In the context of addressing a few difficulties we were having getting the whole band together to rehearse, we both realized that the current lineup wasn’t quite working the way we’d hoped. It was a difficult conversation, but Dave and I are extremely close friends, so we knew we could trust each other to be honest about our feelings. I can truthfully say his departure was a mutual decision with no hint of animosity on either side. In fact, the way it was all handled is proof of how strong the trust is in our band.
So where does this leave the band? We have a big gig at Blackstump coming up in 6 or so weeks. Fortunately, a work friend of Matt’s by the name of Richard Sallows happens to be a drummer and a Christian. On a whim, Matt gave him a call to see if he wanted to jam with us. We had a rehearsal with him and it went well, so we have offered him a trial period in the band up until Blackstump. That gives as a few weeks to rehearse with him and see how the band dynamic goes with him, plus see how he performs in the live arena. After we have played stump with him, we will make an official decision on whether he will join the band permanently. Richard is great guy, and is doing his absolute best to get the job full time. He is into metal and rock, so he fits the bill perfectly. His drumming doesn’t have the thrashing intensity of Dave’s, but so far he has been very solid and easy to work with.
However, it isn’t quite the end of the line for the lineup featuring Dave. As I’ve been discussing in bits and pieces, we have been working with Daniel Holmes on some new material for our next album. Dave has been fully involved in this process and is keen to finish what we have started. So after stump in October, we will hit Fattdog Studio in earnest with the old lineup and record our next album, with a goal to getting the album ready for a mid 2010 release (hopefully). This release will be Dave’s farewell performance with the band, and we are very excited about what will be delivered. The fact that we can even do this is testament to the strength of our friendship with Dave. While the album is being recorded, our live shows will feature the new drummer, be that Richard or someone else.
So as you can see, we are very much in transition at the moment. We are essentially working with 2 drummers for the time being, but both are excellent people who are fully accepting and understanding of the other. So while it has been difficult, we have such a close bond in the band that I’m very confident and excited about the road ahead.
Richard’s first performance with the band will be at The Castle on September 12th. He probably feels like he’s been thrown into the lion’s den, but it will be great to have a show or two under his bullet belt before Black Stump. We are playing at a youth group the following day, and then we have some tentative stuff lined up post stump. Of course, I will keep you all informed.
It would be remiss of me to finish this edition without giving my heartfelt thanks to Dave for his contribution to the band over the last 2 years. We love you like a brother, and already we miss your presence in the band room. The way you have pushed our sound into another zone has been proof in the pudding of your awesome God given talent behind the drums. You are a valued friend, and we have shared experiences and times that I and the rest of Grave Forsaken will cherish forever. I’m so thrilled we can crank out one last album with you, and we are determined to make this the best GF album yet. We all look forward to the good times the future holds.
Until next time – God Bless and Mosh On.
Next Monday Mosh – September 14th.
Monday, August 10, 2009
10th August 2009: Monday Mosh #14
10th August 2009: Monday Mosh #14
Hi everyone. Like I said last week, I’ve been finding I bit off more than I could chew with a weekly Monday Mosh, so from now on I will post them on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. That means they will basically be fortnightly, except for when there are 5 Mondays in the month.
There is an episode of GFTV due today, but I’ve fallen a bit behind schedule unfortunately. I’m working on the episode right now, but it is still a few days away. I will post a message on our forum when it is on youtube. Mosher Crew Confidential #4 is due next Monday, and that will contain some significant info for Mosher Crew members. It is a really important edition to check out.
I’ve just had an extended chat with a couple of the guys in the band and we have been bouncing around some really exciting ideas for future live shows. We didn’t have practice, but a couple of the guys came over to my place anyway to hang out. I’ve always had this vision of taking the show on the road and playing in town halls in small country towns and regional centres. As we looked at all the gear we’ve accumulated in my shed, we realized we have been blessed with a small arsenal of equipment that we should really be putting into the ministry. We will be praying and seeking God’s will over the future direction of our live performances. However, if you live in regional Western Australia and would like to see Grave Forsaken play in your area and you know of a church or rec centre that we could play in, please get in touch with me and we try and work something out.
Thanks for the spectacular response to the Destined For Ascension giveaway. They have all gone now, but it was really cool to hear from so many people with your words of encouragement. It’s so pleasing to know that the Lord is blessing people through our music. I will have another competition in the October Mosher Crew newsletter.
We are looking forward to some upcoming shows. We actually have quite a bit on over the next couple of months. Just tonight we discussed a possible gig in Byford in late August at the SJ Rec Centre. We are then playing at East Fremantle Baptist Youth Group sometime in early September, plus we have a Castle gig on September 12th. We then obviously have Blackstump on October 2nd, and then we have been tentatively offered a gig at a high school fete in late October. So a fair bit is going on. We are entering a real time of working on our live show and performance to make it the best it can be. As well as presenting the gospel, we want to make our gigs a real fun time for everyone involved.
I’ll keep it short and sweet tonight. It’s nearly midnight and I should really get some sleep. This whole rock and roll late night thing can be taxing sometimes! But I wouldn’t swap it for the world. Thanks for checking in everyone.
God Bless and MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh: Monday 24th August
Hi everyone. Like I said last week, I’ve been finding I bit off more than I could chew with a weekly Monday Mosh, so from now on I will post them on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. That means they will basically be fortnightly, except for when there are 5 Mondays in the month.
There is an episode of GFTV due today, but I’ve fallen a bit behind schedule unfortunately. I’m working on the episode right now, but it is still a few days away. I will post a message on our forum when it is on youtube. Mosher Crew Confidential #4 is due next Monday, and that will contain some significant info for Mosher Crew members. It is a really important edition to check out.
I’ve just had an extended chat with a couple of the guys in the band and we have been bouncing around some really exciting ideas for future live shows. We didn’t have practice, but a couple of the guys came over to my place anyway to hang out. I’ve always had this vision of taking the show on the road and playing in town halls in small country towns and regional centres. As we looked at all the gear we’ve accumulated in my shed, we realized we have been blessed with a small arsenal of equipment that we should really be putting into the ministry. We will be praying and seeking God’s will over the future direction of our live performances. However, if you live in regional Western Australia and would like to see Grave Forsaken play in your area and you know of a church or rec centre that we could play in, please get in touch with me and we try and work something out.
Thanks for the spectacular response to the Destined For Ascension giveaway. They have all gone now, but it was really cool to hear from so many people with your words of encouragement. It’s so pleasing to know that the Lord is blessing people through our music. I will have another competition in the October Mosher Crew newsletter.
We are looking forward to some upcoming shows. We actually have quite a bit on over the next couple of months. Just tonight we discussed a possible gig in Byford in late August at the SJ Rec Centre. We are then playing at East Fremantle Baptist Youth Group sometime in early September, plus we have a Castle gig on September 12th. We then obviously have Blackstump on October 2nd, and then we have been tentatively offered a gig at a high school fete in late October. So a fair bit is going on. We are entering a real time of working on our live show and performance to make it the best it can be. As well as presenting the gospel, we want to make our gigs a real fun time for everyone involved.
I’ll keep it short and sweet tonight. It’s nearly midnight and I should really get some sleep. This whole rock and roll late night thing can be taxing sometimes! But I wouldn’t swap it for the world. Thanks for checking in everyone.
God Bless and MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Next Monday Mosh: Monday 24th August
Monday, August 3, 2009
3rd August 2009: Monday Mosh #13
3rd August 2009: Monday Mosh #13
Sorry for the delay in getting this week’s Monday Mosh out – very busy weekend. Actually, I kind of bit off a bit more than I could chew by doing a weekly Monday Mosh. I’ve decided that from now on they’ll go out twice a month (so essentially once a fortnight). I’ll post the Monday Mosh on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month for the rest of the year, then reassess the things in the new year. Depending on my work situation, I’m hoping to have a bit more time up my sleeve in 2010 to concentrate on the band.
We have booked our tickets to Sydney for Blackstump last night. We will be playing on Friday night the 2nd October at the Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park in Sydney. We can’t wait! We are hoping to play a church gig on Sunday 4th October. If anyone reading this lives the greater Sydney area and knows a church that would have us after an evening service please drop me a line. My contact details are on the official Grave Forsaken site. On that note, we will also be available on the Thursday 1st October if anyone knows somewhere we could play. It could be a tiny gig for all we care – would just be great to play a few shows while we’re there. I’m also really looking forward to catching up with my friends in all the other bands – Matt, Pete, Phil, Jayson, Andrew, Brad and Paul (formerly in Fearscape). It will be really special.
We have had two rehearsals in the last 3 days. We are working on a setlist that contains songs from all 5 releases. We are using the next few gigs to celebrate our 5th anniversary. No guarantees, but we might be making a special 5 year shirt for all you GF supporters out there. Last night we were bouncing around a few ideas. As always it comes down to finances. We just annihilated my credit card booking airfares last night (don’t worry, we’ve got the cash to back it up). Between bills and airfares, I’ve put over $5000 on my card in the last two days! It’s that time of year when all the council and water rates arrive in Byford (my home suburb). But hopefully we’ll have some new merch out soon.
I’m still tweaking the live album “Light The Hall!”. That will be available in late September as a pay what you want download for the Mosher Crew. I like this idea because it means you can listen to it before you decide if you want to pay for it. With the physical CD market in such a bad shape, downloads are truly the way of the future. I’d like to think we can keep putting out actual CD’s, but they may have to be limited to professionally printed CD-R’s. It costs about $1000 Australian to manufacture 500 CD’s, but about $300 to print 100 CD-Rs. So we’d be paying more per unit, but we could definitely sell 100. I recently got an official live Kiss CD-R (Rock The Nation Instant Live), and apart from the blue back, I really wouldn’t have noticed (or cared) that it was a CD-R. Small bands like us may need to do things this way to keep the physical product alive. The offset is that we can still print the same quality booklet with all the liner notes and other cool stuff. I’m very optimistic that the determined bands can get through this rough patch for the music industry. We’ve always had an element of DIY, and there’s no reason we can’t continue. I have North Wind Studio now, so I can record our albums myself. Essentially what I’m saying is that GF isn’t going anywhere, despite the doom and gloom around the industry.
Speaking of downloads and CD’s, we now have a mp3 store and merchandise section at the official site. You can download every song we’ve ever released for what I think are very reasonable prices. You can also listen to each song through the page, so you get a real feel for the material before deciding whether you want to buy. It’s a really cool feature, and one we are very excited to offer. This is also the first time “Beside The River Of Blood” has been available digitally as well, so head over to the site to check it out. You have to pay through paypal, but it doesn’t require you to have a paypal account to make purchases. There’s a section in the shopping cart for people to use their bank accounts or credit cards.
With the release of the new Stryper album, I’ve decided to go back and listen to Reborn. It really isn’t as bad as it’s reputation suggests. I’ve always liked it to tell the truth. I think artists should be allowed to produce the music that’s in their heart. One thing I’ve learned is you can’t force a sound or style. What’s inside you is what will come out, so artists most of the time are really only doing what comes naturally. I always say vote with your feet – if it’s not your thing just let it be and listen to something that is your thing. People are entitled to their opinion, but having been in this band for 5 years, I totally understand why things change within a band. There you go, that can be my random soapbox for the week.
One last thing – I’ve decided to go a little bit crazy. I have 20 free copies of our 2008 album “Destined For Ascension” to give away to the Mosher Crew. So the next 20 Mosher Crew members who email me with their mailing address will get an absolutely free copy of the album. If you’re not in the crew and you want the CD, sign up now and drop me an email before they all go. You can join for free via the Mosher Crew section of our website at www.graveforsaken.com
So I will be back next Monday, but then there will be a two week break before the next Mosh on the 24th. Thanks for reading and you’ll hear from me again soon!
God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Sorry for the delay in getting this week’s Monday Mosh out – very busy weekend. Actually, I kind of bit off a bit more than I could chew by doing a weekly Monday Mosh. I’ve decided that from now on they’ll go out twice a month (so essentially once a fortnight). I’ll post the Monday Mosh on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month for the rest of the year, then reassess the things in the new year. Depending on my work situation, I’m hoping to have a bit more time up my sleeve in 2010 to concentrate on the band.
We have booked our tickets to Sydney for Blackstump last night. We will be playing on Friday night the 2nd October at the Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park in Sydney. We can’t wait! We are hoping to play a church gig on Sunday 4th October. If anyone reading this lives the greater Sydney area and knows a church that would have us after an evening service please drop me a line. My contact details are on the official Grave Forsaken site. On that note, we will also be available on the Thursday 1st October if anyone knows somewhere we could play. It could be a tiny gig for all we care – would just be great to play a few shows while we’re there. I’m also really looking forward to catching up with my friends in all the other bands – Matt, Pete, Phil, Jayson, Andrew, Brad and Paul (formerly in Fearscape). It will be really special.
We have had two rehearsals in the last 3 days. We are working on a setlist that contains songs from all 5 releases. We are using the next few gigs to celebrate our 5th anniversary. No guarantees, but we might be making a special 5 year shirt for all you GF supporters out there. Last night we were bouncing around a few ideas. As always it comes down to finances. We just annihilated my credit card booking airfares last night (don’t worry, we’ve got the cash to back it up). Between bills and airfares, I’ve put over $5000 on my card in the last two days! It’s that time of year when all the council and water rates arrive in Byford (my home suburb). But hopefully we’ll have some new merch out soon.
I’m still tweaking the live album “Light The Hall!”. That will be available in late September as a pay what you want download for the Mosher Crew. I like this idea because it means you can listen to it before you decide if you want to pay for it. With the physical CD market in such a bad shape, downloads are truly the way of the future. I’d like to think we can keep putting out actual CD’s, but they may have to be limited to professionally printed CD-R’s. It costs about $1000 Australian to manufacture 500 CD’s, but about $300 to print 100 CD-Rs. So we’d be paying more per unit, but we could definitely sell 100. I recently got an official live Kiss CD-R (Rock The Nation Instant Live), and apart from the blue back, I really wouldn’t have noticed (or cared) that it was a CD-R. Small bands like us may need to do things this way to keep the physical product alive. The offset is that we can still print the same quality booklet with all the liner notes and other cool stuff. I’m very optimistic that the determined bands can get through this rough patch for the music industry. We’ve always had an element of DIY, and there’s no reason we can’t continue. I have North Wind Studio now, so I can record our albums myself. Essentially what I’m saying is that GF isn’t going anywhere, despite the doom and gloom around the industry.
Speaking of downloads and CD’s, we now have a mp3 store and merchandise section at the official site. You can download every song we’ve ever released for what I think are very reasonable prices. You can also listen to each song through the page, so you get a real feel for the material before deciding whether you want to buy. It’s a really cool feature, and one we are very excited to offer. This is also the first time “Beside The River Of Blood” has been available digitally as well, so head over to the site to check it out. You have to pay through paypal, but it doesn’t require you to have a paypal account to make purchases. There’s a section in the shopping cart for people to use their bank accounts or credit cards.
With the release of the new Stryper album, I’ve decided to go back and listen to Reborn. It really isn’t as bad as it’s reputation suggests. I’ve always liked it to tell the truth. I think artists should be allowed to produce the music that’s in their heart. One thing I’ve learned is you can’t force a sound or style. What’s inside you is what will come out, so artists most of the time are really only doing what comes naturally. I always say vote with your feet – if it’s not your thing just let it be and listen to something that is your thing. People are entitled to their opinion, but having been in this band for 5 years, I totally understand why things change within a band. There you go, that can be my random soapbox for the week.
One last thing – I’ve decided to go a little bit crazy. I have 20 free copies of our 2008 album “Destined For Ascension” to give away to the Mosher Crew. So the next 20 Mosher Crew members who email me with their mailing address will get an absolutely free copy of the album. If you’re not in the crew and you want the CD, sign up now and drop me an email before they all go. You can join for free via the Mosher Crew section of our website at www.graveforsaken.com
So I will be back next Monday, but then there will be a two week break before the next Mosh on the 24th. Thanks for reading and you’ll hear from me again soon!
God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Monday, July 27, 2009
27th July 2009: Monday Mosh #12
27th July 2009: Monday Mosh #12
Hi everyone and welcome to the latest Monday Mosh. As usual we’ve had a busy week with Grave Forsaken, and I’ll use this update to fill you in on the details.
Firstly, we are pleased to announce that will be playing at Blackstump Festival in Sydney this year. This has been on the cards behind the scenes, and it’s great to be going back. It looks like we will be playing on the Friday night of the festival. The date will be October 2nd. We would urge all our East Coast supporters to make the trip to stump and catch the band. It will be our first show out of WA for two years and we absolutely can’t wait. It will be a very exciting 2 ½ months as we prepare for the trip and the show. Also we are very much looking forward to catching up with our friends in the other bands – it should be a terrific event. The lineup includes Synnove, Fearscape, InExordium and Dei Elithaeon, so it will be an utterly cranking evening. Being over here in Perth we sometimes feel isolated. Heading over to Sydney for this gig is a great thing for a band like ours.
The sessions at Fattdog are going really well. Dave put some drums down on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to hearing what he came up with (I wasn’t there). I will possibly go into the studio tomorrow to do some arranging with Daniel. A song I have written called This Dying Day has a basic set of riffs, but I’m trying to decide if it should be a snappy 3 minute thrasher or an epic. It could go either way at this stage. Whatever the case, I’m really happy with how it is coming along.
We recently recorded a cover of Bought By Blood by Deliverance for an upcoming Christian metal Realm tribute album. We are very happy with the recording. It features Dan Holmes of Templar on guitar, and it could be the best thing ever recorded under the Grave Forsaken name! We’re really that happy with it. There’ll be more details as I get them, but the song has been submitted to Arttie, the organizer of the project.
We have a rehearsal tonight at my house. With the news of stump it will good to throw around some setlist ideas and get into the vibe for the trip. Looking forward to catching up with boys in a couple of hours time!
This week we are streaming This Day Forth in it’s entirety again. All the songs have had a good number of plays now, so I’m putting it up from start to finish again. Head over to the official site and have another listen.
The next gig is looking like it will be on September 12th at the Castle. There may be a chance we will do a youth group gig in August, but I’m still in the planning phase of that one. Whatever the case, we are looking to do at least a gig a month for the foreseeable future. So for the Perth supporters, there should be a real opportunity to check the band out over the next few months.
I’ve put up a new Mosher Crew download in the members area this week. This one is a vintage performance of Light The Hall from 2005. This is actually recorded live in the studio by Ben Travia. It is historically significant for the band because it is the very first thing we recorded in the “Beside The River Of Blood” sessions. We were VERY raw in those days, so don’t expect a sonic surge of power. It does capture an enthusiastic band very keen to get working on an album. The funny thing is that Light The Hall never made the album in the end, though a crisper version than this did appear on the Horror And Sadness EP. Still, it’s a song we occasionally bring out live, and indeed we have named the upcoming online live album “Light The Hall!” after the song. It’s an old favourite of mine. Maybe we need to record a definitive studio version of the song one day. Hmm.
Well, that brings me to end of another week. Check out the download Mosher Crew, and check back in next week! Seeya then.
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Hi everyone and welcome to the latest Monday Mosh. As usual we’ve had a busy week with Grave Forsaken, and I’ll use this update to fill you in on the details.
Firstly, we are pleased to announce that will be playing at Blackstump Festival in Sydney this year. This has been on the cards behind the scenes, and it’s great to be going back. It looks like we will be playing on the Friday night of the festival. The date will be October 2nd. We would urge all our East Coast supporters to make the trip to stump and catch the band. It will be our first show out of WA for two years and we absolutely can’t wait. It will be a very exciting 2 ½ months as we prepare for the trip and the show. Also we are very much looking forward to catching up with our friends in the other bands – it should be a terrific event. The lineup includes Synnove, Fearscape, InExordium and Dei Elithaeon, so it will be an utterly cranking evening. Being over here in Perth we sometimes feel isolated. Heading over to Sydney for this gig is a great thing for a band like ours.
The sessions at Fattdog are going really well. Dave put some drums down on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to hearing what he came up with (I wasn’t there). I will possibly go into the studio tomorrow to do some arranging with Daniel. A song I have written called This Dying Day has a basic set of riffs, but I’m trying to decide if it should be a snappy 3 minute thrasher or an epic. It could go either way at this stage. Whatever the case, I’m really happy with how it is coming along.
We recently recorded a cover of Bought By Blood by Deliverance for an upcoming Christian metal Realm tribute album. We are very happy with the recording. It features Dan Holmes of Templar on guitar, and it could be the best thing ever recorded under the Grave Forsaken name! We’re really that happy with it. There’ll be more details as I get them, but the song has been submitted to Arttie, the organizer of the project.
We have a rehearsal tonight at my house. With the news of stump it will good to throw around some setlist ideas and get into the vibe for the trip. Looking forward to catching up with boys in a couple of hours time!
This week we are streaming This Day Forth in it’s entirety again. All the songs have had a good number of plays now, so I’m putting it up from start to finish again. Head over to the official site and have another listen.
The next gig is looking like it will be on September 12th at the Castle. There may be a chance we will do a youth group gig in August, but I’m still in the planning phase of that one. Whatever the case, we are looking to do at least a gig a month for the foreseeable future. So for the Perth supporters, there should be a real opportunity to check the band out over the next few months.
I’ve put up a new Mosher Crew download in the members area this week. This one is a vintage performance of Light The Hall from 2005. This is actually recorded live in the studio by Ben Travia. It is historically significant for the band because it is the very first thing we recorded in the “Beside The River Of Blood” sessions. We were VERY raw in those days, so don’t expect a sonic surge of power. It does capture an enthusiastic band very keen to get working on an album. The funny thing is that Light The Hall never made the album in the end, though a crisper version than this did appear on the Horror And Sadness EP. Still, it’s a song we occasionally bring out live, and indeed we have named the upcoming online live album “Light The Hall!” after the song. It’s an old favourite of mine. Maybe we need to record a definitive studio version of the song one day. Hmm.
Well, that brings me to end of another week. Check out the download Mosher Crew, and check back in next week! Seeya then.
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Monday, July 20, 2009
20th July 2009: Monday Mosh #11
20th July 2009: Monday Mosh #11
Here we are on another Monday. I’m a school teacher and due back today. We are very lucky as teachers because we get all the holidays that the kids get – it’s certainly nothing to complain about. Yes the job can be stressful at times, but what job isn’t? I want to go on public record that I really enjoy being a teacher. It is a very fulfilling job and I love it. I particularly enjoy being able to influence young people, and perhaps point them in the right direction from time to time. That is the purpose at least!
I’ve got to confess, there is not much to report on the Grave Forsaken front this week. Part of doing a weekly update means that some weeks will be quiet. But please read on anyway, because I’m sure I’ll come up with something interesting and bloggy.
Elias and I went into Fattdog on Wednesday to record some riffs and do some arranging with Daniel. It’s fair to say that these sessions with Daniel are really developing nicely. I’d even say that they are actually developing into a cohesive album. We have always tried to release something each year, so the goal is to have another studio album sometime during 2010. We recorded the first album between September 2005 and September 2006 on and off. It was a really difficult process and wore our patience very thin. All the songs were written before going in, but we didn’t record in an actual studio. It was done in various houses and churches all across Perth. Hence the somewhat inconsistent sound of that album (still, I’m extremely proud of it). The second album was recorded at Fattdog between April 2007 and February 2008. Again, we took a whole year to record, but at least there was a consistent venue. We are extremely happy with Destined For Ascension, and I actually feel it slipped the radar a bit last year. I still enjoy listening back to it, and captures that original line up at our peak. This Day Forth was recorded between April and October 2008. It was done over a much quicker time frame – indeed most of the raw tracks were laid down in a little over 2 weeks during April. That entire process is documented on the bonus DVD that comes with Soundmass orders of the new album. We deliberately recorded it quickly to get a very early 80’s raw thrash feel. Based on the reviews, we certainly achieved that. The only problem is that a lot of reviews are attributing the raw feel to poor production, and while they are entitled to their opinion, it was exactly the sound we were looking for.
With all this in mind, we have approached the next album very differently. Seeing as there is no rush to record something, we have opted to build an album from the ground up. Elias had already recorded a batch of 10 demos late last year. We have literally been going into Fattdog and laying down guide riffs based mainly on the demos Elias has come up with. Dan has then been offering his advice on arrangements and making changes where necessary (like any good producer should). Simon has been adding some guitar work and Dave has then been recording a drum track using Daniel’s Roland electronic kit. From there, I have been writing lyrics for the songs. Normally with GF songs, the lyrics and riffs come at the same time, so it is a slightly different way of writing. Once I have a rough set of lyrics I have been recording them and then taking mixes home and working on the vocal patterns and phrasing. We don’t even have enough songs for an album yet, but we are getting close. It is beyond doubt that some of the material already recorded will survive and actually make it onto the next album, however we won’t rush anything. If a take needs to be rerecorded, or I come up with a better vocal phrasing, it will be redone. It is such a different way of working for us because in the past the songs have been written and arranged prior to recording them. These songs are virtually being written in the studio. We know the next album has to be out of the box, and we are working hard to ensure when it does come out, it will represent the best of us. Each album has been a gradual improvement over the last, and this will be no different.
Speaking of the new song and riff ideas, this months edition of Mosher Crew Confidential is now available for download from the members area of our website. The edition gives you a few snort snippets of some of the stuff we have been doing, as well as a bit of a look at some of my raw songwriting ideas. My 1 year old son Aaron also makes his first appearance on a Grave Forsaken video since GFTV episode 3. Regular followers of our shows can see how much he has grown. Kristy and I are extremely proud of the little fella. If you’re interested in accessing Mosher Crew Confidential simply sign up to the Mosher Crew (for free) and you can check out the ever growing catalogue of downloads available from the members area.
The other thing I have been doing is continuing the mix for our online live album “Light The Hall”. I was getting a lot of high end buzz on the guitars which was annoying me. As this mix has been a learning experience for me, I was able to have a play with the EQ on the guitar. I think I’ve solved 90% of the problem by cutting out some of the offending frequencies. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with plug ins and effects. While you can’t actually change the raw performance (well you can, but I want it to be authentic), you can change some of the technical aspects of the recording. It’s fair to say that the Byford venue we recorded in was not designed for heavy metal live albums, but to me that is part of the beauty of the process. I figure that learning my way around the software and mixing desk on this project will stand me in very good stead for producing a future GF album myself. Working with Daniel is terrific, but the drawback is time, money and distance. I foresee a time when all our studio material is recorded at my home studio. That is unless we start selling a lot of albums and can afford a bigger studio. GF is what it is, and we are fully dedicated to making it the best it can be with our resource constraints. This is not a whinge, because I fully accept it, but the cold hard reality is there is no money in this scene for most bands. It is an expensive hobby for most of us. I think through a combination of talent and luck, the best bands make it to some degree, but it seems most bands are only ever one poor album away from losing their entire fanbase, and being back in the garage, or split up entirely. It can be an extremely taxing and frustrating undertaking.
Take our gig last Saturday night. It was a low turnout and the band wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders. You do sometimes drive home wondering if it is worth the time, money and effort. And the end of the day it is all about ministry for us. Just being representatives of Christ in the local metal scene is enough, and there are times when I need to remind myself of that. In some small way we are making a difference for God, and that makes what we and other Christian bands do worthwhile. So when your favourite Christian band hasn’t played many shows recently, or hasn’t put out an album for a while, or have some lineup changes, just remember how taxing it is for them. We choose to do this because we love serving God this way, but it certainly isn’t a lifestyle for everyone.
One thing I’ve always said to our supporters is that we are here for the long haul. There will come a day when we don’t put a new album out every year, and there will times when we don’t play live for 6 months, but everyday I try to do at least one little thing to move the band forward. Whether it’s writing a Monday Mosh, or editing a new GFTV episode, or contacting a promoter about a gig, I’m always pushing this thing forward. I accept that what we are now is what we might always be, but there is always hope that something will breakthrough. Maybe a support slot on a big tour, or a sudden surge in interest in one of our albums. The point is, none of these external factors will stop Grave Forsaken continuing. I say this because all the bands that have been meaningful to me over the years have stuck it out through the years. Kiss, Mortification, Iron Maiden to name a few. They just keep rolling on determined, and I find inspiration in that.
So, in a slow news week, I’ve managed to write possibly the longest Mosh yet. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading, and you’ll hear from me again next Monday.
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Here we are on another Monday. I’m a school teacher and due back today. We are very lucky as teachers because we get all the holidays that the kids get – it’s certainly nothing to complain about. Yes the job can be stressful at times, but what job isn’t? I want to go on public record that I really enjoy being a teacher. It is a very fulfilling job and I love it. I particularly enjoy being able to influence young people, and perhaps point them in the right direction from time to time. That is the purpose at least!
I’ve got to confess, there is not much to report on the Grave Forsaken front this week. Part of doing a weekly update means that some weeks will be quiet. But please read on anyway, because I’m sure I’ll come up with something interesting and bloggy.
Elias and I went into Fattdog on Wednesday to record some riffs and do some arranging with Daniel. It’s fair to say that these sessions with Daniel are really developing nicely. I’d even say that they are actually developing into a cohesive album. We have always tried to release something each year, so the goal is to have another studio album sometime during 2010. We recorded the first album between September 2005 and September 2006 on and off. It was a really difficult process and wore our patience very thin. All the songs were written before going in, but we didn’t record in an actual studio. It was done in various houses and churches all across Perth. Hence the somewhat inconsistent sound of that album (still, I’m extremely proud of it). The second album was recorded at Fattdog between April 2007 and February 2008. Again, we took a whole year to record, but at least there was a consistent venue. We are extremely happy with Destined For Ascension, and I actually feel it slipped the radar a bit last year. I still enjoy listening back to it, and captures that original line up at our peak. This Day Forth was recorded between April and October 2008. It was done over a much quicker time frame – indeed most of the raw tracks were laid down in a little over 2 weeks during April. That entire process is documented on the bonus DVD that comes with Soundmass orders of the new album. We deliberately recorded it quickly to get a very early 80’s raw thrash feel. Based on the reviews, we certainly achieved that. The only problem is that a lot of reviews are attributing the raw feel to poor production, and while they are entitled to their opinion, it was exactly the sound we were looking for.
With all this in mind, we have approached the next album very differently. Seeing as there is no rush to record something, we have opted to build an album from the ground up. Elias had already recorded a batch of 10 demos late last year. We have literally been going into Fattdog and laying down guide riffs based mainly on the demos Elias has come up with. Dan has then been offering his advice on arrangements and making changes where necessary (like any good producer should). Simon has been adding some guitar work and Dave has then been recording a drum track using Daniel’s Roland electronic kit. From there, I have been writing lyrics for the songs. Normally with GF songs, the lyrics and riffs come at the same time, so it is a slightly different way of writing. Once I have a rough set of lyrics I have been recording them and then taking mixes home and working on the vocal patterns and phrasing. We don’t even have enough songs for an album yet, but we are getting close. It is beyond doubt that some of the material already recorded will survive and actually make it onto the next album, however we won’t rush anything. If a take needs to be rerecorded, or I come up with a better vocal phrasing, it will be redone. It is such a different way of working for us because in the past the songs have been written and arranged prior to recording them. These songs are virtually being written in the studio. We know the next album has to be out of the box, and we are working hard to ensure when it does come out, it will represent the best of us. Each album has been a gradual improvement over the last, and this will be no different.
Speaking of the new song and riff ideas, this months edition of Mosher Crew Confidential is now available for download from the members area of our website. The edition gives you a few snort snippets of some of the stuff we have been doing, as well as a bit of a look at some of my raw songwriting ideas. My 1 year old son Aaron also makes his first appearance on a Grave Forsaken video since GFTV episode 3. Regular followers of our shows can see how much he has grown. Kristy and I are extremely proud of the little fella. If you’re interested in accessing Mosher Crew Confidential simply sign up to the Mosher Crew (for free) and you can check out the ever growing catalogue of downloads available from the members area.
The other thing I have been doing is continuing the mix for our online live album “Light The Hall”. I was getting a lot of high end buzz on the guitars which was annoying me. As this mix has been a learning experience for me, I was able to have a play with the EQ on the guitar. I think I’ve solved 90% of the problem by cutting out some of the offending frequencies. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with plug ins and effects. While you can’t actually change the raw performance (well you can, but I want it to be authentic), you can change some of the technical aspects of the recording. It’s fair to say that the Byford venue we recorded in was not designed for heavy metal live albums, but to me that is part of the beauty of the process. I figure that learning my way around the software and mixing desk on this project will stand me in very good stead for producing a future GF album myself. Working with Daniel is terrific, but the drawback is time, money and distance. I foresee a time when all our studio material is recorded at my home studio. That is unless we start selling a lot of albums and can afford a bigger studio. GF is what it is, and we are fully dedicated to making it the best it can be with our resource constraints. This is not a whinge, because I fully accept it, but the cold hard reality is there is no money in this scene for most bands. It is an expensive hobby for most of us. I think through a combination of talent and luck, the best bands make it to some degree, but it seems most bands are only ever one poor album away from losing their entire fanbase, and being back in the garage, or split up entirely. It can be an extremely taxing and frustrating undertaking.
Take our gig last Saturday night. It was a low turnout and the band wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders. You do sometimes drive home wondering if it is worth the time, money and effort. And the end of the day it is all about ministry for us. Just being representatives of Christ in the local metal scene is enough, and there are times when I need to remind myself of that. In some small way we are making a difference for God, and that makes what we and other Christian bands do worthwhile. So when your favourite Christian band hasn’t played many shows recently, or hasn’t put out an album for a while, or have some lineup changes, just remember how taxing it is for them. We choose to do this because we love serving God this way, but it certainly isn’t a lifestyle for everyone.
One thing I’ve always said to our supporters is that we are here for the long haul. There will come a day when we don’t put a new album out every year, and there will times when we don’t play live for 6 months, but everyday I try to do at least one little thing to move the band forward. Whether it’s writing a Monday Mosh, or editing a new GFTV episode, or contacting a promoter about a gig, I’m always pushing this thing forward. I accept that what we are now is what we might always be, but there is always hope that something will breakthrough. Maybe a support slot on a big tour, or a sudden surge in interest in one of our albums. The point is, none of these external factors will stop Grave Forsaken continuing. I say this because all the bands that have been meaningful to me over the years have stuck it out through the years. Kiss, Mortification, Iron Maiden to name a few. They just keep rolling on determined, and I find inspiration in that.
So, in a slow news week, I’ve managed to write possibly the longest Mosh yet. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading, and you’ll hear from me again next Monday.
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Sunday, July 12, 2009
13th July 2009: Monday Mosh #10
13th July 2009: Monday Mosh #10
G’day everyone, and welcome to the Monday Mosh. First of all we’d like to thank the people who came out for our album launch on Saturday night. I have to confess, I was disappointed with the turnout for the event, but these things happen sometimes. There was a high profile metal gig just down the road, and that certainly impacted the numbers. The good news is that 52 people came through the door, and this covered all the event costs. The Grave Forsaken set was beset by the dreaded “technical difficulties”, but on review of the video, it was barely noticeable. The biggest problem was me stepping on Simon’s guitar lead and knocking out his sound during a crucial section of “This Day Forth”. Sorry Simon! I will say it was tough day for the band, as we had a rehearsal in the afternoon, and didn’t hit the stage until late. Everyone was quite tired by that stage. Once we had a few difficulties during the set, the mood was down a bit. Still, a gig is a gig, and we are very thankful for the opportunity. We also got a multitrack recording of the gig which will be mixed this week. Look out for some of those tunes to be up on the website at some point in the future.
Onto some really cool info that a few of you have been curious about. As regular readers will know, we recorded a gig last July and have been mixing it on and off ever since. I’m very pleased to announce that this gig will be released online as our first live album “Light The Hall!” on September 28th. The band is 5 years old in September, so we figured what better to way to celebrate than by releasing our live album online. So here’s the deal – the album will be available as a “pay what you think it’s worth” download. This means you can download it for free, or you can donate a sum of money to the band via paypal when you access the download. The download will be initially made available only through the members area, so if you want it first, you need to sign up to the ever growing Mosher Crew through the official website (which is free anyway). Included with the download will be a pdf of the CD booklet and insert, so you can print your own hard copy of the album. If there’s enough interest, we will print a run of the album in physical form, but we’ll wait and see how the downloads go first. We are really looking forward to making this release available in this format, and hope you’ll enjoy the album. The setlist covers our entire 5 year history, including a version of “Wasting Power” from the latest album, which obviously hadn’t been released at the time of the recording. All the favourites are there, such as “The North Wind”, “Death On The Cross” and “Warriors Of Light”, so be sure to download your copy on September 28th!
On the subject of the live album, this week we have a new episode of GFTV that documents the mixing of the recording here at North Wind Studio. Head over to the following URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBm2xc3XRhY to check it out. Alternatively, just type in Grave Forsaken TV into youtube and you’ll find links to all 10 GFTV episodes. While you’re there, check out some of the older episodes as well. It’s a lot of fun putting together these GFTV episodes, and we obviously hope you guys enjoy the insight into the band.
Elias and I are heading out to Fattdog this Wednesday to work on some new arrangements with Daniel. While the reaction to This Day Forth has been mostly positive, there are definitely areas we can improve in on the next Grave Forsaken album. Shreds has come up with some of his best riffs ever, and we are really enjoying putting them into solid song structures. Daniel is so much fun to work with, and all of us just cherish our time at Fattdog. Not to mention that Daniel always has plenty of great advice for me now that I have my own studio at home. He really gives us the confidence and self belief to put together some really cool stuff. You should check out his band Templar if you haven’t already. Very awesome indeed.
That brings me to the end of yet another mosh - what are we up to now, 10? It’s just crazy that it’s been 10 weeks since I started. Well, here’s to many more, and we’ll catch you all again next week.
God Bless and MOSH ON!
G’day everyone, and welcome to the Monday Mosh. First of all we’d like to thank the people who came out for our album launch on Saturday night. I have to confess, I was disappointed with the turnout for the event, but these things happen sometimes. There was a high profile metal gig just down the road, and that certainly impacted the numbers. The good news is that 52 people came through the door, and this covered all the event costs. The Grave Forsaken set was beset by the dreaded “technical difficulties”, but on review of the video, it was barely noticeable. The biggest problem was me stepping on Simon’s guitar lead and knocking out his sound during a crucial section of “This Day Forth”. Sorry Simon! I will say it was tough day for the band, as we had a rehearsal in the afternoon, and didn’t hit the stage until late. Everyone was quite tired by that stage. Once we had a few difficulties during the set, the mood was down a bit. Still, a gig is a gig, and we are very thankful for the opportunity. We also got a multitrack recording of the gig which will be mixed this week. Look out for some of those tunes to be up on the website at some point in the future.
Onto some really cool info that a few of you have been curious about. As regular readers will know, we recorded a gig last July and have been mixing it on and off ever since. I’m very pleased to announce that this gig will be released online as our first live album “Light The Hall!” on September 28th. The band is 5 years old in September, so we figured what better to way to celebrate than by releasing our live album online. So here’s the deal – the album will be available as a “pay what you think it’s worth” download. This means you can download it for free, or you can donate a sum of money to the band via paypal when you access the download. The download will be initially made available only through the members area, so if you want it first, you need to sign up to the ever growing Mosher Crew through the official website (which is free anyway). Included with the download will be a pdf of the CD booklet and insert, so you can print your own hard copy of the album. If there’s enough interest, we will print a run of the album in physical form, but we’ll wait and see how the downloads go first. We are really looking forward to making this release available in this format, and hope you’ll enjoy the album. The setlist covers our entire 5 year history, including a version of “Wasting Power” from the latest album, which obviously hadn’t been released at the time of the recording. All the favourites are there, such as “The North Wind”, “Death On The Cross” and “Warriors Of Light”, so be sure to download your copy on September 28th!
On the subject of the live album, this week we have a new episode of GFTV that documents the mixing of the recording here at North Wind Studio. Head over to the following URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBm2xc3XRhY to check it out. Alternatively, just type in Grave Forsaken TV into youtube and you’ll find links to all 10 GFTV episodes. While you’re there, check out some of the older episodes as well. It’s a lot of fun putting together these GFTV episodes, and we obviously hope you guys enjoy the insight into the band.
Elias and I are heading out to Fattdog this Wednesday to work on some new arrangements with Daniel. While the reaction to This Day Forth has been mostly positive, there are definitely areas we can improve in on the next Grave Forsaken album. Shreds has come up with some of his best riffs ever, and we are really enjoying putting them into solid song structures. Daniel is so much fun to work with, and all of us just cherish our time at Fattdog. Not to mention that Daniel always has plenty of great advice for me now that I have my own studio at home. He really gives us the confidence and self belief to put together some really cool stuff. You should check out his band Templar if you haven’t already. Very awesome indeed.
That brings me to the end of yet another mosh - what are we up to now, 10? It’s just crazy that it’s been 10 weeks since I started. Well, here’s to many more, and we’ll catch you all again next week.
God Bless and MOSH ON!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
6th July 2009: Monday Mosh #9
6th July 2009: Monday Mosh #9
Here we are again for another Monday Mosh. The weeks just seem to roll by so quickly. It’s hard to keep up! Thanks to you all out for regularly visiting the website and myspace site, our hits on both are creeping up nicely. I’m really excited about the idea of a regular update – people really seem to be following what’s going on.
We have a full on week ahead of us. Next Saturday is our This Day Forth album launch. We are busily preparing ourselves for that. If you are a Perth mosher, it would great to catch you at the Castle next Saturday night. Rowland Gwynne has organized a particularly strong lineup. We have Archaic, Mhorgl and Psychonaut joining in on the festivities. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $10. We will also be getting a live recording of the gig and at least 3 camera angles, so it’s very possible that this show will see a release of some kind or another down the track. It is very exciting, so head down to the Castle on the corner of Stirling Street and Newcastle Street, Northbridge!
There has been a lot of interest in our live recording from last July. For months now I’ve been promising some kind of clarification over it’s release. This weeks edition of the Mosher Crew newsletter will contain some exciting information on the release, and I will make that info available in Monday Mosh #10 next week. So stay tuned for that. I’m listening to a mix of the recording as I type and I’m just so happy with how it has come out. Yes, it is raw and contains mistakes, but it’s also 100% live and real, which is very very cool. We have some really exciting plans for our live material moving into the future.
Yesterday afternoon we hit the studio to record our cover of “Bought By Blood” by Deliverance. We are recording the song for the Christian Metal Realm Deliverance tribute CD. I’ve gotta say, I was completely blown away by the sense of purpose and focus we had as a band yesterday. Sure, there was the usual jokes and laughs, but the vibe was just sensational. Our producer Daniel did a terrific job. Many of you will realise Daniel is from Templar, who have put out a couple of releases now. He is an amazing talent, and he’s actually the one who worked out the riffs to the songs (as well as playing guitar on the track). Matt couldn’t make the session, so he justs needs to lay down a bass track, and the song is essentially done. Simon, Elias and Daniel all play a lead on the track, while I cut a vocal. Dave was also there, and he put down a great drum track. All in all it was a terrific afternoon. Weapons Of Our Warfare is one of my favourite albums of all time, so it truly was an honour to pay tribute to the record in this way. I just hope if Jimmy Brown and George Ochoa ever hear our cover they will appreciate our interpretation of the song. I used to listen to that CD in high school. I never dreamed I would be recording a song from it one day for a Deliverance tribute. The Christian Metal Realm have been posting songs for the tribute on their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/christianmetalrealm so head over and check what the other bands have done so far.
On the subject of tributes, our version of “The Destroyer Beholds” for the Mortification tribute album has been submitted to the organizers, so we look forward to that CD coming out. I don’t have any solid release details for that one, but I will let you all know as soon as I have something to report. I’m really happy with our version, and all this recording of covers has got Elias and I talking about doing a Grave Forsaken covers album. We used to talk about this a bit on the Centurion Outpost forum, but the dream has never been a reality until now. One way we could do it is to record a cover song every couple of months and then put something out when we have 8-10 tracks. I’m not familiar with all the copyright stuff we’d have to do in order to make that possible, so I’d need to do a bit of research. If anyone has done something like this, please drop me a line via email to let me know how you cleared the use of the songs.
I’m trying something a little different for this weeks website stream. Instead of streaming an entire album, I’m going to stream 2 songs from This Day Forth each week for the next four weeks. I’ve decided to play some stuff that hasn’t been on the myspace site, so this week we’ll start with Affluenza and Death Undone. Check them out!
Well thanks again for checking in to the Mosh. Mosher Crew members will be receiving this months newsletter in their inboxes with this update. I hope you all have a great week, and I’ll be back with more randomness in 7 days (as well as a new episode of GFTV!)
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Here we are again for another Monday Mosh. The weeks just seem to roll by so quickly. It’s hard to keep up! Thanks to you all out for regularly visiting the website and myspace site, our hits on both are creeping up nicely. I’m really excited about the idea of a regular update – people really seem to be following what’s going on.
We have a full on week ahead of us. Next Saturday is our This Day Forth album launch. We are busily preparing ourselves for that. If you are a Perth mosher, it would great to catch you at the Castle next Saturday night. Rowland Gwynne has organized a particularly strong lineup. We have Archaic, Mhorgl and Psychonaut joining in on the festivities. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $10. We will also be getting a live recording of the gig and at least 3 camera angles, so it’s very possible that this show will see a release of some kind or another down the track. It is very exciting, so head down to the Castle on the corner of Stirling Street and Newcastle Street, Northbridge!
There has been a lot of interest in our live recording from last July. For months now I’ve been promising some kind of clarification over it’s release. This weeks edition of the Mosher Crew newsletter will contain some exciting information on the release, and I will make that info available in Monday Mosh #10 next week. So stay tuned for that. I’m listening to a mix of the recording as I type and I’m just so happy with how it has come out. Yes, it is raw and contains mistakes, but it’s also 100% live and real, which is very very cool. We have some really exciting plans for our live material moving into the future.
Yesterday afternoon we hit the studio to record our cover of “Bought By Blood” by Deliverance. We are recording the song for the Christian Metal Realm Deliverance tribute CD. I’ve gotta say, I was completely blown away by the sense of purpose and focus we had as a band yesterday. Sure, there was the usual jokes and laughs, but the vibe was just sensational. Our producer Daniel did a terrific job. Many of you will realise Daniel is from Templar, who have put out a couple of releases now. He is an amazing talent, and he’s actually the one who worked out the riffs to the songs (as well as playing guitar on the track). Matt couldn’t make the session, so he justs needs to lay down a bass track, and the song is essentially done. Simon, Elias and Daniel all play a lead on the track, while I cut a vocal. Dave was also there, and he put down a great drum track. All in all it was a terrific afternoon. Weapons Of Our Warfare is one of my favourite albums of all time, so it truly was an honour to pay tribute to the record in this way. I just hope if Jimmy Brown and George Ochoa ever hear our cover they will appreciate our interpretation of the song. I used to listen to that CD in high school. I never dreamed I would be recording a song from it one day for a Deliverance tribute. The Christian Metal Realm have been posting songs for the tribute on their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/christianmetalrealm so head over and check what the other bands have done so far.
On the subject of tributes, our version of “The Destroyer Beholds” for the Mortification tribute album has been submitted to the organizers, so we look forward to that CD coming out. I don’t have any solid release details for that one, but I will let you all know as soon as I have something to report. I’m really happy with our version, and all this recording of covers has got Elias and I talking about doing a Grave Forsaken covers album. We used to talk about this a bit on the Centurion Outpost forum, but the dream has never been a reality until now. One way we could do it is to record a cover song every couple of months and then put something out when we have 8-10 tracks. I’m not familiar with all the copyright stuff we’d have to do in order to make that possible, so I’d need to do a bit of research. If anyone has done something like this, please drop me a line via email to let me know how you cleared the use of the songs.
I’m trying something a little different for this weeks website stream. Instead of streaming an entire album, I’m going to stream 2 songs from This Day Forth each week for the next four weeks. I’ve decided to play some stuff that hasn’t been on the myspace site, so this week we’ll start with Affluenza and Death Undone. Check them out!
Well thanks again for checking in to the Mosh. Mosher Crew members will be receiving this months newsletter in their inboxes with this update. I hope you all have a great week, and I’ll be back with more randomness in 7 days (as well as a new episode of GFTV!)
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Monday, June 29, 2009
29th June 2009: Monday Mosh #8
29th June 2009: Monday Mosh #8
Welcome to Monday Mosh #8, which in reality should be called Tuesday Mosh #1. Yes, it was inevitable that one of these weeks I wouldn’t get a chance to do the Mosh on a Monday. Apologies to all for the delay. I’ve had a very busy couple of days, not to mention coming down with a bad cold on Thursday. Suffice to say this is the first time I’ve been on the computer for a number of days now. All is good however, and I have some interesting updates for you all.
I’ll start with this month’s Mosher Crew download. I was thinking during the week, “What can I make available?”, and then it hit me. I could put one of the songs from the old Katara EP up. My band before Grave Forsaken was called Katara, and in 2001 we recorded a 4 track EP called “Welcome To Katara”. Believe it or not, we actually did this with Daniel Holmes, our current producer. The song I’ve put up is called “Crux Of My Dreams”. Some keen listeners may even recognize some elements of the song that were used later in Grave Forsaken. The line up for this recording was me on vocals, Matt on bass, Ben Travia on guitar, Chris Connor on guitar and Luke Battistessa on drums. If you aren’t a member of the Mosher Crew and want to check out the song, simply join up for free through the Mosher Crew section of our website. The mp3 is available in the members area now.
We are having our “This Day Forth” album launch on Saturday July 11th at the Castle in Northbridge. The last gig there went really well and we’re hoping for 100 or more punters to come down to the album launch. We have a stellar line up booked - Archaic, Morghl and Psychonaut. It promises to be a huge night. Entry is $10, or $15 dollars with a copy of This Day Forth. If you are in Perth it would be great to see you there. We are in intense rehearsal, and will cranking out Holy Blood and Mother Of Harlots live for the first time. Can’t wait!
Elias and I have been quite busy on Monday nights lately. As I’ve mentioned in previous Moshes, we are constantly composing and demoing new material. This particular material we are working on is really exciting, and has an epic feel to it. We are actually considering doing an album project separate from Grave Forsaken some we can bring in some more diverse influences. We are still in the planning stage, but we think it would be a great idea to record tracks here at my home studio and then make them available to you all via download. The first song we are working on is called “In The Beginning”, and we intend to make it next month’s Mosher Crew download. As we talk more, I will keep everyone informed as to the progress of this project via the Monday Mosh. I mean who knows, maybe it will evolve into a Grave Forsaken album, or perhaps it will go on an entirely different tangent. It’s hard to know, but it is exciting waiting to find out.
Our Grave Forsaken work at Fattdog Studio continues to go well. We have arrangements for 5 new Grave Forsaken songs sorted out, with a few more in the pipeline. I’m currently working on vocal lines and lyrics for the songs that we’ve arranged. It is without doubt the most intensive songwriting process we’ve ever put ourselves through. There is a real emphasis and quality riffs and arrangements. It is fair to say that up until now most of our songs have developed in a fairly organic way, in that we build them up in the rehearsal room and then record them when the time comes. We know that the next Grave Forsaken needs to have killer song writing and production, and we are putting a lot of time and effort into getting the song development just right. I definitely feel we have improved with each album, and I really want the follow up to This Day Forth to be a further improvement. The new songs are 100% thrash in the Mother Of Harlots and No News vein. That is definitely where the band is headed over the next few years.
Thanks again for checking in, and once again, my apologies for the delay. I will endeavour to ensure that next week we are on schedule.
God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Welcome to Monday Mosh #8, which in reality should be called Tuesday Mosh #1. Yes, it was inevitable that one of these weeks I wouldn’t get a chance to do the Mosh on a Monday. Apologies to all for the delay. I’ve had a very busy couple of days, not to mention coming down with a bad cold on Thursday. Suffice to say this is the first time I’ve been on the computer for a number of days now. All is good however, and I have some interesting updates for you all.
I’ll start with this month’s Mosher Crew download. I was thinking during the week, “What can I make available?”, and then it hit me. I could put one of the songs from the old Katara EP up. My band before Grave Forsaken was called Katara, and in 2001 we recorded a 4 track EP called “Welcome To Katara”. Believe it or not, we actually did this with Daniel Holmes, our current producer. The song I’ve put up is called “Crux Of My Dreams”. Some keen listeners may even recognize some elements of the song that were used later in Grave Forsaken. The line up for this recording was me on vocals, Matt on bass, Ben Travia on guitar, Chris Connor on guitar and Luke Battistessa on drums. If you aren’t a member of the Mosher Crew and want to check out the song, simply join up for free through the Mosher Crew section of our website. The mp3 is available in the members area now.
We are having our “This Day Forth” album launch on Saturday July 11th at the Castle in Northbridge. The last gig there went really well and we’re hoping for 100 or more punters to come down to the album launch. We have a stellar line up booked - Archaic, Morghl and Psychonaut. It promises to be a huge night. Entry is $10, or $15 dollars with a copy of This Day Forth. If you are in Perth it would be great to see you there. We are in intense rehearsal, and will cranking out Holy Blood and Mother Of Harlots live for the first time. Can’t wait!
Elias and I have been quite busy on Monday nights lately. As I’ve mentioned in previous Moshes, we are constantly composing and demoing new material. This particular material we are working on is really exciting, and has an epic feel to it. We are actually considering doing an album project separate from Grave Forsaken some we can bring in some more diverse influences. We are still in the planning stage, but we think it would be a great idea to record tracks here at my home studio and then make them available to you all via download. The first song we are working on is called “In The Beginning”, and we intend to make it next month’s Mosher Crew download. As we talk more, I will keep everyone informed as to the progress of this project via the Monday Mosh. I mean who knows, maybe it will evolve into a Grave Forsaken album, or perhaps it will go on an entirely different tangent. It’s hard to know, but it is exciting waiting to find out.
Our Grave Forsaken work at Fattdog Studio continues to go well. We have arrangements for 5 new Grave Forsaken songs sorted out, with a few more in the pipeline. I’m currently working on vocal lines and lyrics for the songs that we’ve arranged. It is without doubt the most intensive songwriting process we’ve ever put ourselves through. There is a real emphasis and quality riffs and arrangements. It is fair to say that up until now most of our songs have developed in a fairly organic way, in that we build them up in the rehearsal room and then record them when the time comes. We know that the next Grave Forsaken needs to have killer song writing and production, and we are putting a lot of time and effort into getting the song development just right. I definitely feel we have improved with each album, and I really want the follow up to This Day Forth to be a further improvement. The new songs are 100% thrash in the Mother Of Harlots and No News vein. That is definitely where the band is headed over the next few years.
Thanks again for checking in, and once again, my apologies for the delay. I will endeavour to ensure that next week we are on schedule.
God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
22nd June 2009" Monday Mosh #7
22nd June 2009: Monday Mosh #7
I sit here on a freezing Sunday night in Perth typing out this week’s mosh. I’m feeling kind of relieved because this is the only task I’ve set myself this week. I’ve been insanely busy at work, and last week I was on school camp down in Albany, I think around 4 or 500 km’s south of Perth. It was a good week, but it’s straight back into the Monday Madness tomorrow.
This week we are streaming our 2008 album “Destined For Ascension” from our website in it’s entirety. I hope you all enjoyed having a listen to “This Day Forth” during last week. I’ve had a look at the hit counter, and quite a few people had a listen. Obviously we’re hoping that translates into some more sales, but at least people can have a listen before making up their minds.
I’m just in the final stages of putting together our merch and mp3 store. I’ll let you know when it is up, but it will be very soon. We’re really looking forward to being able to sell downloads direct from the site. We have lots of cool things we can do with this. Stay tuned.
Sometime in the next few moshes I will be able to give more details about our live release. This has been an ongoing project for sometime, and as we’ve been promising it will see the light of day in some capacity. I have been delayed in the mixing process as a whole stack of other stuff has been taking my time, but rest assured it is coming. It looks as though we will be experimenting with a “pay what you like” setup through the Mosher Crew Members page. Essentially, we won’t set a price for the recording – but if you want to make a financial donation to the band, you will be free to contribute some money. It will be interesting to see how that approach goes.
This afternoon the band met again at Fattdog Studio to work through some new riffs. These latest riffs are a direct follow on from the thrash approach on This Day Forth. As always, I’m very excited to hear some ideas come into fruition. I was listening to some bouncedowns tonight as I marked my year 10 exams and there was distinct Slayer vibe going on. We seem to be heading more and more in that direction. These songs are still incomplete, but these days I like to give the tunes a lot of time to mature. Lyrics will be challenging as Tim is no longer in the band and he used to write a lot of the lyrics. There is a bit of a theme of destruction coming through in the fragments I’ve written so far, but at the core of it all is hope through Jesus. I have been taking my video camera to all the sessions, so maybe there is material for another doco if all these ideas come together to be the next album.
Elias and I have been working together on a Monday night on some other ideas as well. We are best mates, so we love just sitting down, talking rubbish and recording demo’s. We like to keep busy, and you never know where the next song is coming from. If we can get one of our demos to a reasonable state tomorrow, I’m going to make it the Mosher Crew download for June. Just remember these demos are not Grave Forsaken songs just yet, simply ideas for future projects. Elias and I have literally dozens of song ideas recorded in various states of completion, but many of them never see the light of day. Perhaps you guys can be judge of what should go through to the next round!
As I’ve been away all week, I don’t have a great deal more to report on. Keep the website visits coming – last week was the highest average in the history of the site. Also, I’m still answering a number of emails that have backed up from last week, so if you haven’t heard back from me, you will shortly. Thanks for your continued support. Oh, and check out Boarders – I finally got their album last week and it is killer. Soundmass have some in stock – support them and buy a copy!
Until next time God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
I sit here on a freezing Sunday night in Perth typing out this week’s mosh. I’m feeling kind of relieved because this is the only task I’ve set myself this week. I’ve been insanely busy at work, and last week I was on school camp down in Albany, I think around 4 or 500 km’s south of Perth. It was a good week, but it’s straight back into the Monday Madness tomorrow.
This week we are streaming our 2008 album “Destined For Ascension” from our website in it’s entirety. I hope you all enjoyed having a listen to “This Day Forth” during last week. I’ve had a look at the hit counter, and quite a few people had a listen. Obviously we’re hoping that translates into some more sales, but at least people can have a listen before making up their minds.
I’m just in the final stages of putting together our merch and mp3 store. I’ll let you know when it is up, but it will be very soon. We’re really looking forward to being able to sell downloads direct from the site. We have lots of cool things we can do with this. Stay tuned.
Sometime in the next few moshes I will be able to give more details about our live release. This has been an ongoing project for sometime, and as we’ve been promising it will see the light of day in some capacity. I have been delayed in the mixing process as a whole stack of other stuff has been taking my time, but rest assured it is coming. It looks as though we will be experimenting with a “pay what you like” setup through the Mosher Crew Members page. Essentially, we won’t set a price for the recording – but if you want to make a financial donation to the band, you will be free to contribute some money. It will be interesting to see how that approach goes.
This afternoon the band met again at Fattdog Studio to work through some new riffs. These latest riffs are a direct follow on from the thrash approach on This Day Forth. As always, I’m very excited to hear some ideas come into fruition. I was listening to some bouncedowns tonight as I marked my year 10 exams and there was distinct Slayer vibe going on. We seem to be heading more and more in that direction. These songs are still incomplete, but these days I like to give the tunes a lot of time to mature. Lyrics will be challenging as Tim is no longer in the band and he used to write a lot of the lyrics. There is a bit of a theme of destruction coming through in the fragments I’ve written so far, but at the core of it all is hope through Jesus. I have been taking my video camera to all the sessions, so maybe there is material for another doco if all these ideas come together to be the next album.
Elias and I have been working together on a Monday night on some other ideas as well. We are best mates, so we love just sitting down, talking rubbish and recording demo’s. We like to keep busy, and you never know where the next song is coming from. If we can get one of our demos to a reasonable state tomorrow, I’m going to make it the Mosher Crew download for June. Just remember these demos are not Grave Forsaken songs just yet, simply ideas for future projects. Elias and I have literally dozens of song ideas recorded in various states of completion, but many of them never see the light of day. Perhaps you guys can be judge of what should go through to the next round!
As I’ve been away all week, I don’t have a great deal more to report on. Keep the website visits coming – last week was the highest average in the history of the site. Also, I’m still answering a number of emails that have backed up from last week, so if you haven’t heard back from me, you will shortly. Thanks for your continued support. Oh, and check out Boarders – I finally got their album last week and it is killer. Soundmass have some in stock – support them and buy a copy!
Until next time God Bless and MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Sunday, June 14, 2009
15th June 2009: Monday Mosh #6
15th June 2009: Monday Mosh #6
Welcome to another edition of the Monday Mosh. This is Vaughan here, and I’m having a particularly good weekend (I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon). We just had our first gig with Simon on guitar last night, and I have to say it was great success. The gig was organized by Rowland “ironguardian” Gwynne and held at the Castle. 79 payers came through the door, which is quite good for one of these local Perth gigs. We were all very happy with the way we played. I think the dynamic of having 5 of us on stage really worked well, we were able to interact in a really fun way. I have to admit though, I wasn’t physically ready for the demands of being sole lead vocalist – without the safety net of my mike stand and guitar I got quite breathless quite quickly. Still, it was a lot of fun and we all pushed through. We played an 8 song setlist, kicking off with Warriors Of Light, then Wasting Power, The North Wind, Harder To Hate, No Eye Has Seen, Perish The Thought, This Day Forth, finishing on Death On The Cross. This week’s edition of Mosher Crew Confidential features some backstage footage of the gig, as well as our full performance of This Day Forth from the night. If you’re not a member of the Mosher Crew, make sure you join up and check out the video. We are looking forward to the next show on July 11th, also at the Castle. That will be a This Day Forth album launch, so it will be good to see some more of you Perth Moshers down there.
We are very excited to be able to do this – with thanks to our great friend Adam who runs Soundmass, we are bringing a full stream of “This Day Forth” in it’s entirety on our website. That’s correct folks, we are streaming the entire album from www.graveforsaken.com for your enjoyment. So head over to the site (if you’re not already there now), have a look around and have a listen to the album. Of course, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to soundmass.com and purchase a copy. There are still some copies of the album with the bonus DVD available. I have received a number of emails from people who have the DVD and they all love it – it’s the best insight into our band you will get.
On the subject of the website, I’m pleased to say that this Friday just gone we had our best day yet for unique hits. Thanks to the efforts of Soundmass and all of you guys, word is spreading about the album, and we are seeing results first hand with website visits (and myspace hits). At the end of the day, it’s about getting the gospel out, the only reason we have ever done this is to present Christianity to as many people as possible. As I’ve always said, we plan to be in this for the long haul, and hopefully we’ll be able to reach many more people in the future. One online radio station that has played us is the Refinery Rock ( www.therefineryrock.com ).We’d really appreciate it if you could head over there and follow the links to request songs from the new album.
We are asking a big favour of all our supporters out there. We have recently entered ourselves in the Australian Metal Awards. This is a prestigious competition organized by some heavy hitters in the Australian scene. The website is www.australianmetal.com.au and you have to follow the mainsite link to get to the voting page. To maintain the integrity of the vote, the page does require a sign in. We are in the “Best Live Band”, “Best Live Clip”, and “Best Album Cover” categories. We would really appreciate you all heading over to the site, creating an account and putting in a vote for us. It would be a big deal for our standing in Australia if we could score well in these categories. I know for a fact that some of you people in the Mosher Crew have already voted, thanks so much for that.
I have been in contact with the Blackstump organizers this week. Things are looking pretty positive about us going over there this year. We’re particularly excited about catching up with the East Coast Mosher Crew members. We have a good contigent of supporters over there, and we can’t wait to bring the show over. Also, I’m particularly looking forward to catching up with our good mates in Fearscape. If a metal night does go ahead, it will be an event not to be missed. As we get more details I will continue to update you on the situation.
Well, that just about finishes the mosh for another week. I need to let everyone know that I’m on a school camp this week, so I won’t be able to answer any Grave Forsaken email in that time (unless they have web access at the campsite). I talked last week about God teaching me patience. Well, what’s been really interesting is that in the weeks since Simon came into the band, we have had a series of gig opportunities come our way with absolutely no instigation from me. We’ll tell you more about those as they solidify. The thing is, I often run around like a headless chook trying to contact this church or that pub to enquire about gigs. I really felt God tell me that “what I’ve got is what I first must be” (paraphrased from Pushin’ Broom by Tourniquet) so I made a conscious decision to pull back, and be patient and wait. Well, some great things have happened. Now I’m definitely not saying sit back and let God do the work, but I truly believe there are times when we have to hand control over. Everyone who knows me knows I like to control all aspects of the band, some would even call me a control freak, so it has been really humbling and really difficult to take a back seat. But like I said, a string of opportunities have popped into my inbox during this time. To me it’s proof positive that God is in control. I think we’re onto something with this 5 piece lineup, and I for one am excited about the future. You’ll all hear from me next Monday.
God Bless and MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Welcome to another edition of the Monday Mosh. This is Vaughan here, and I’m having a particularly good weekend (I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon). We just had our first gig with Simon on guitar last night, and I have to say it was great success. The gig was organized by Rowland “ironguardian” Gwynne and held at the Castle. 79 payers came through the door, which is quite good for one of these local Perth gigs. We were all very happy with the way we played. I think the dynamic of having 5 of us on stage really worked well, we were able to interact in a really fun way. I have to admit though, I wasn’t physically ready for the demands of being sole lead vocalist – without the safety net of my mike stand and guitar I got quite breathless quite quickly. Still, it was a lot of fun and we all pushed through. We played an 8 song setlist, kicking off with Warriors Of Light, then Wasting Power, The North Wind, Harder To Hate, No Eye Has Seen, Perish The Thought, This Day Forth, finishing on Death On The Cross. This week’s edition of Mosher Crew Confidential features some backstage footage of the gig, as well as our full performance of This Day Forth from the night. If you’re not a member of the Mosher Crew, make sure you join up and check out the video. We are looking forward to the next show on July 11th, also at the Castle. That will be a This Day Forth album launch, so it will be good to see some more of you Perth Moshers down there.
We are very excited to be able to do this – with thanks to our great friend Adam who runs Soundmass, we are bringing a full stream of “This Day Forth” in it’s entirety on our website. That’s correct folks, we are streaming the entire album from www.graveforsaken.com for your enjoyment. So head over to the site (if you’re not already there now), have a look around and have a listen to the album. Of course, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to soundmass.com and purchase a copy. There are still some copies of the album with the bonus DVD available. I have received a number of emails from people who have the DVD and they all love it – it’s the best insight into our band you will get.
On the subject of the website, I’m pleased to say that this Friday just gone we had our best day yet for unique hits. Thanks to the efforts of Soundmass and all of you guys, word is spreading about the album, and we are seeing results first hand with website visits (and myspace hits). At the end of the day, it’s about getting the gospel out, the only reason we have ever done this is to present Christianity to as many people as possible. As I’ve always said, we plan to be in this for the long haul, and hopefully we’ll be able to reach many more people in the future. One online radio station that has played us is the Refinery Rock ( www.therefineryrock.com ).We’d really appreciate it if you could head over there and follow the links to request songs from the new album.
We are asking a big favour of all our supporters out there. We have recently entered ourselves in the Australian Metal Awards. This is a prestigious competition organized by some heavy hitters in the Australian scene. The website is www.australianmetal.com.au and you have to follow the mainsite link to get to the voting page. To maintain the integrity of the vote, the page does require a sign in. We are in the “Best Live Band”, “Best Live Clip”, and “Best Album Cover” categories. We would really appreciate you all heading over to the site, creating an account and putting in a vote for us. It would be a big deal for our standing in Australia if we could score well in these categories. I know for a fact that some of you people in the Mosher Crew have already voted, thanks so much for that.
I have been in contact with the Blackstump organizers this week. Things are looking pretty positive about us going over there this year. We’re particularly excited about catching up with the East Coast Mosher Crew members. We have a good contigent of supporters over there, and we can’t wait to bring the show over. Also, I’m particularly looking forward to catching up with our good mates in Fearscape. If a metal night does go ahead, it will be an event not to be missed. As we get more details I will continue to update you on the situation.
Well, that just about finishes the mosh for another week. I need to let everyone know that I’m on a school camp this week, so I won’t be able to answer any Grave Forsaken email in that time (unless they have web access at the campsite). I talked last week about God teaching me patience. Well, what’s been really interesting is that in the weeks since Simon came into the band, we have had a series of gig opportunities come our way with absolutely no instigation from me. We’ll tell you more about those as they solidify. The thing is, I often run around like a headless chook trying to contact this church or that pub to enquire about gigs. I really felt God tell me that “what I’ve got is what I first must be” (paraphrased from Pushin’ Broom by Tourniquet) so I made a conscious decision to pull back, and be patient and wait. Well, some great things have happened. Now I’m definitely not saying sit back and let God do the work, but I truly believe there are times when we have to hand control over. Everyone who knows me knows I like to control all aspects of the band, some would even call me a control freak, so it has been really humbling and really difficult to take a back seat. But like I said, a string of opportunities have popped into my inbox during this time. To me it’s proof positive that God is in control. I think we’re onto something with this 5 piece lineup, and I for one am excited about the future. You’ll all hear from me next Monday.
God Bless and MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Sunday, June 7, 2009
8th June 2009: Monday Mosh #5
8th June 2009: Monday Mosh #5
Welcome to another Monday Mosh. Vaughan here again. I sit here at 5.00am on an absolutely freezing Perth morning. Many of you will know I am a school teacher, so I have get this written and published before I leave for school in a couple of hours. Since I gave myself the job of doing the Monday Mosh, my Monday mornings have been pretty hectic. The really cool thing has been the response we have been getting.
Last week’s mosh was definitely the most controversial yet. You will remember I made a comment about the downloading situation with our new album This Day Forth. I got a lot of emails in support of what I was saying, but I also got a few people suggesting that the gospel should be free. The implication was that I should be pleased people are downloading the album for free. It got me thinking all week and I can say I am pleased the gospel is going out to people through Grave Forsaken music, and that is to me is the only positive side effect of this downloading situation. Our primary purpose is to share the gospel, but we cannot and will not support illegal uploading and downloading of our material (and anyone else’s for that matter). Please buy the CD – every sale helps the ministry. Trust me, I’ve poured thousands into this band.
As promised, there is a brand new episode of Grave Forsaken TV up right now. Episode 9 is entitled “Freeway North: Part II”. It documents our recent trip up to Dave’s house to rehearse and watch the footy. This was Simon’s first jam with the entire band, so it has historical importance for us. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWeASf1idw . Some of you may have been expecting the next chapter in the history of Grave Forsaken series, and I can assure everyone that that is coming next month. Those episodes require a little more work as I have to dig through old footage and photo’s to put them together.
The band has a live gig next Saturday night (June 13th) at the Castle in Northbridge. The Castle is located at the Corner of Newcastle Street and Stirling Street. We are playing with 3 other bands, and we will be on at 11.00pm, or thereabouts. Doors open at 8.00pm and entry is $10. We are asking that all our local supporters come out to this gig. As we start our next push into the local heavy metal scene, we need as many Grave fans as possible to come to each gig. Copies of our new album will be available, along with shirts and other merch. We hope you’ll be there. For those in different states and countries, I’ll give you the full run down of the gig next Monday. Personally, I am super excited about the gig. It is the first with Simon, and it is the first gig since the new album came out.
We spent another afternoon out at Fattdog Studio yesterday, jamming on some material. Elias has a stack of song ideas that we are looking at consolidating into the next batch of songs. As I’ve said before, we are the kind of band that is always working on new ideas. It helps keep the creative juices flowing. Plus we figure there will come a time when the ideas and inspiration run a bit dry, so we need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak. We look forward to sharing the results of this recent work with you sometime down the track.
A band I’ve been listening to a bit lately is Arnion. They have an album out on Retroactive Records called “Fall Like Rain”. They are a really great Christian thrash band, and I thoroughly recommend them. There’s not all that many bands doing Christian thrash, so I like to get into every little bit that I can. Check them out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GCc7gteq8&feature=related . I’ve also been listening to the new Mortification album “The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine”. I can thoroughly recommend this one as well. I’m finding the album to be catchy as heack, and I love the huge production Steve has gone for. This album is a must for all fans of Christian metal.
God has really been teaching me some lessons this year with the band. The main one is patience. I’m your classic quick off the mark but slow to finish kind of person, and I suppose I’ve transmitted a bit of that onto the band. The thing I’ve been learning is too take a deep breath and just let things be a little more. Sometimes we try to control every little aspect of our lives, but we really do have to let God be in control. I’ve learned this the hard way so many times, so I’m thankful that God is teaching me just to go with the flow a little more. Sure, we need to be proactive – we can’t just sit around waiting for God to make our dreams come true, but there is a time where we have to let God to his work at His pace and not ours.
On that note, I’m going to sign out for the week. Hope to see as many of you Perth Moshers as possible next Saturday at the Castle. Until next time
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Welcome to another Monday Mosh. Vaughan here again. I sit here at 5.00am on an absolutely freezing Perth morning. Many of you will know I am a school teacher, so I have get this written and published before I leave for school in a couple of hours. Since I gave myself the job of doing the Monday Mosh, my Monday mornings have been pretty hectic. The really cool thing has been the response we have been getting.
Last week’s mosh was definitely the most controversial yet. You will remember I made a comment about the downloading situation with our new album This Day Forth. I got a lot of emails in support of what I was saying, but I also got a few people suggesting that the gospel should be free. The implication was that I should be pleased people are downloading the album for free. It got me thinking all week and I can say I am pleased the gospel is going out to people through Grave Forsaken music, and that is to me is the only positive side effect of this downloading situation. Our primary purpose is to share the gospel, but we cannot and will not support illegal uploading and downloading of our material (and anyone else’s for that matter). Please buy the CD – every sale helps the ministry. Trust me, I’ve poured thousands into this band.
As promised, there is a brand new episode of Grave Forsaken TV up right now. Episode 9 is entitled “Freeway North: Part II”. It documents our recent trip up to Dave’s house to rehearse and watch the footy. This was Simon’s first jam with the entire band, so it has historical importance for us. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWeASf1idw . Some of you may have been expecting the next chapter in the history of Grave Forsaken series, and I can assure everyone that that is coming next month. Those episodes require a little more work as I have to dig through old footage and photo’s to put them together.
The band has a live gig next Saturday night (June 13th) at the Castle in Northbridge. The Castle is located at the Corner of Newcastle Street and Stirling Street. We are playing with 3 other bands, and we will be on at 11.00pm, or thereabouts. Doors open at 8.00pm and entry is $10. We are asking that all our local supporters come out to this gig. As we start our next push into the local heavy metal scene, we need as many Grave fans as possible to come to each gig. Copies of our new album will be available, along with shirts and other merch. We hope you’ll be there. For those in different states and countries, I’ll give you the full run down of the gig next Monday. Personally, I am super excited about the gig. It is the first with Simon, and it is the first gig since the new album came out.
We spent another afternoon out at Fattdog Studio yesterday, jamming on some material. Elias has a stack of song ideas that we are looking at consolidating into the next batch of songs. As I’ve said before, we are the kind of band that is always working on new ideas. It helps keep the creative juices flowing. Plus we figure there will come a time when the ideas and inspiration run a bit dry, so we need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak. We look forward to sharing the results of this recent work with you sometime down the track.
A band I’ve been listening to a bit lately is Arnion. They have an album out on Retroactive Records called “Fall Like Rain”. They are a really great Christian thrash band, and I thoroughly recommend them. There’s not all that many bands doing Christian thrash, so I like to get into every little bit that I can. Check them out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GCc7gteq8&feature=related . I’ve also been listening to the new Mortification album “The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine”. I can thoroughly recommend this one as well. I’m finding the album to be catchy as heack, and I love the huge production Steve has gone for. This album is a must for all fans of Christian metal.
God has really been teaching me some lessons this year with the band. The main one is patience. I’m your classic quick off the mark but slow to finish kind of person, and I suppose I’ve transmitted a bit of that onto the band. The thing I’ve been learning is too take a deep breath and just let things be a little more. Sometimes we try to control every little aspect of our lives, but we really do have to let God be in control. I’ve learned this the hard way so many times, so I’m thankful that God is teaching me just to go with the flow a little more. Sure, we need to be proactive – we can’t just sit around waiting for God to make our dreams come true, but there is a time where we have to let God to his work at His pace and not ours.
On that note, I’m going to sign out for the week. Hope to see as many of you Perth Moshers as possible next Saturday at the Castle. Until next time
God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Monday, June 1, 2009
1st June 2009: Monday Mosh #4
1st June 2009: Monday Mosh #4
G’day, Vaughan here. Welcome to this week’s Monday Mosh. We had a pretty big week after the release of This Day Forth. Overall, we’re very pleased with the feedback we’ve received about the album. The thing I’ve really noticed in scouring the web for reviews and comments about the album is just how prevalent illegal downloading has become. We’ve never really suffered from this before, but as the profile of the band has increased, so too have the number of blogs and torrent sites offering free downloads. Sorry to start on a downer, but this situation is getting outrageous. I’ve worked out that at least 1000 people have downloaded the album from these sites. I realize not all these people would buy the album, but if even 50 of them did it would make a big difference. We spent a good chunk of the weekend contemplating the future of the music business in a world where so many people download material for free. We are in interesting times.
The band had an enjoyable weekend. We spent Saturday night playing LAN games at Fattdog Studio with Daniel and a group of friends. It was a great night of laughter and friendship. Matt, Shreds and myself were up until 5am talking about various band related matters. We then spent Sunday afternoon mucking around with some new song ideas in the studio. As you should all know by now, we always have an eye to the future with regard to songwriting and composition. Simon contributed his first song to the band, with a little tune I’ve entitled “War Is Hell” (yes Simon, I’ve changed the song title since yesterday). A great time was had by all. When you’ve been through everything we have over the last 5 years, I can’t tell you how cool it is just to hang with your best mates and jam music. It truly gives me purpose in life. The opportunity to present the gospel through thrash is a dream come true.
We have some gigs coming up at last. We are making our live return on June 13th at the Castle in Northbridge. This is thanks to our friend Rowland Gwynne. I will get details up on the website soon, but I know we will be playing sometime after 10.30pm. This will be Simon’s live debut with the band, and we are pulling out all the stops. We will be hopefully playing 4 songs from This Day Forth, along with some older tunes from the first 2 albums. I urge all our Perth supporters to get down to the Castle, and bring a mate with you. We want to show the local metal scene what Grave Forsaken is all about. We also have a gig at the Castle on July 11th. This will be our official This Day Forth launch gig, so Rowland is planning a big night of festivities and giveaways. Again, more details to come, but keep it free and come and check out the band. If you’ve been curious about checking us out, and haven’t been yet, now is the time. Our current 5 piece lineup is our best ever, and we are keen to bring the thrash.
This week Mosher Crew members will receive the first edition of our new email newsletter. The newsletter will come out every month and will contain exclusive news and competitions. It is a really exciting time to be involved with the band, so join the Mosher Crew now and start enjoying the benefits. A few members of the old crew still haven’t re-signed to the new crew. Unfortunately the old email list was lost when I changed servers, so if you were in the crew and haven’t heard from us in a while, you need to join up again through our official website. I can safely say the way I run the Crew now is far better than before, and new website allows much more interactivity.
Nearly time to sign out for the week, but I would like to draw your attention to the games section of our official site. We’ve recently started looking into making some fun flash games for you all to enjoy. Currently we have “Hit Shreds” and “Simon On The Tightrope” up on the site. Head over there now and check them out. There is a thread on our forum (also part of the official site now) called games, where people have started entering their top scores. Over time we will be adding more games for you to play on the site. It’s all about creating the best possible experience we can.
Thanks again for checking out the blog – your support means a lot to the band. We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you sometime soon.
GOD BLESS AND MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
G’day, Vaughan here. Welcome to this week’s Monday Mosh. We had a pretty big week after the release of This Day Forth. Overall, we’re very pleased with the feedback we’ve received about the album. The thing I’ve really noticed in scouring the web for reviews and comments about the album is just how prevalent illegal downloading has become. We’ve never really suffered from this before, but as the profile of the band has increased, so too have the number of blogs and torrent sites offering free downloads. Sorry to start on a downer, but this situation is getting outrageous. I’ve worked out that at least 1000 people have downloaded the album from these sites. I realize not all these people would buy the album, but if even 50 of them did it would make a big difference. We spent a good chunk of the weekend contemplating the future of the music business in a world where so many people download material for free. We are in interesting times.
The band had an enjoyable weekend. We spent Saturday night playing LAN games at Fattdog Studio with Daniel and a group of friends. It was a great night of laughter and friendship. Matt, Shreds and myself were up until 5am talking about various band related matters. We then spent Sunday afternoon mucking around with some new song ideas in the studio. As you should all know by now, we always have an eye to the future with regard to songwriting and composition. Simon contributed his first song to the band, with a little tune I’ve entitled “War Is Hell” (yes Simon, I’ve changed the song title since yesterday). A great time was had by all. When you’ve been through everything we have over the last 5 years, I can’t tell you how cool it is just to hang with your best mates and jam music. It truly gives me purpose in life. The opportunity to present the gospel through thrash is a dream come true.
We have some gigs coming up at last. We are making our live return on June 13th at the Castle in Northbridge. This is thanks to our friend Rowland Gwynne. I will get details up on the website soon, but I know we will be playing sometime after 10.30pm. This will be Simon’s live debut with the band, and we are pulling out all the stops. We will be hopefully playing 4 songs from This Day Forth, along with some older tunes from the first 2 albums. I urge all our Perth supporters to get down to the Castle, and bring a mate with you. We want to show the local metal scene what Grave Forsaken is all about. We also have a gig at the Castle on July 11th. This will be our official This Day Forth launch gig, so Rowland is planning a big night of festivities and giveaways. Again, more details to come, but keep it free and come and check out the band. If you’ve been curious about checking us out, and haven’t been yet, now is the time. Our current 5 piece lineup is our best ever, and we are keen to bring the thrash.
This week Mosher Crew members will receive the first edition of our new email newsletter. The newsletter will come out every month and will contain exclusive news and competitions. It is a really exciting time to be involved with the band, so join the Mosher Crew now and start enjoying the benefits. A few members of the old crew still haven’t re-signed to the new crew. Unfortunately the old email list was lost when I changed servers, so if you were in the crew and haven’t heard from us in a while, you need to join up again through our official website. I can safely say the way I run the Crew now is far better than before, and new website allows much more interactivity.
Nearly time to sign out for the week, but I would like to draw your attention to the games section of our official site. We’ve recently started looking into making some fun flash games for you all to enjoy. Currently we have “Hit Shreds” and “Simon On The Tightrope” up on the site. Head over there now and check them out. There is a thread on our forum (also part of the official site now) called games, where people have started entering their top scores. Over time we will be adding more games for you to play on the site. It’s all about creating the best possible experience we can.
Thanks again for checking out the blog – your support means a lot to the band. We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you sometime soon.
GOD BLESS AND MOSH ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Sunday, May 24, 2009
25th May 2009: Monday Mosh #3
25th May 2009: Monday Mosh #3
Well here we are, edition 3 of the Monday Mosh already. I’m finding that time is flying now that I’m doing a weekly update. I’m really enjoying the process however.
We have a significant Monday Mosh today. First of all, we are celebrating the release This Day Forth last Friday. People who preordered should be getting their copies very shortly, and I know a lot of people already have received theirs. So far the feedback has been terrific! Thanks to all those people who have emailed in letting us know they love the disc. The general consensus is that it is our best album yet. I haven’t had one person say otherwise! We would really appreciate you all spreading the word about this release to your metal loving mates. We are part of an extremely competitive music market, and every sale counts. I was recently reading a thread on Firestream talking about how Christian metal bands survive. Well the simple answer is that nearly every Christian metal musician I know works a full time job to support their family. The only way Grave Forsaken happens is by us doing things in our spare time on weekends, evenings and mornings before work. If we didn’t love what we do so much, the whole thing would fall apart. We all dream of being full time musicians one day, but in the meantime we will just keep doing what we have to.
Anyway, enough soapboxing for now. To celebrate the release of This Day Forth on Soundmass, we have made a new song available on myspace. Visit www.myspace.com/graveforsaken and you will hear “Holy Blood”. We are so thrilled to finally have Holy Blood recorded and released, as the song has been written since 2006. It wasn’t until we were putting together this new album that we really got the arrangement and feel right. It’s one of those slow burners, but we think you’ll agree the final result speaks for itself. This weeks www.graveforsaken.com music stream will be Mother Of Harlots, This Day Forth and Holy Blood from the new album, so head over to the site and have a listen. While you’re there, post something in the forum to let us know what you think of the new album and tunes!
Also available are the official This Day Forth t-shirts from Soundmass. I have my shirt and I think it looks great. If a big robot laying waste to a city is your thing, then this shirt is for you! Also on the clothing front, we are looking into doing another batch of our famous Mosher Crew hoodies. Keep an eye out for them in the future.
Now onto some huge news for the band. Mosher Crew members will have picked up on this in Mosher Crew Confidential last week. It is with great pleasure that we welcome our newest member Simon Hoggett from Scourged Flesh into the band. That’s correct folks, we have a new member! Simon has been a great friend of the band for the last 18 months, and has now joined the ranks officially as second guitarist. Those who have been following the band closely will have seen Simon in Grave Forsaken TV a couple of times. Simon also filled in on drums for Dave a couple of times last year when Dave was unavailable.
By Simon coming in on guitar, it means that I will be putting down my guitar and switching to the role of full time lead vocals. I love playing my guitar live, however this move allows me to focus purely on the vocals and crowd interaction. Simon is a great rhythm player and has already learnt our entire setlist, so when you see us live next, you will really notice the improvement. Our recent rehearsals as a 5 piece with Simon have been truly awesome, and we are genuinely excited about unleashing this new line up live. So from all of us at Grave Forsaken, we would like to welcome Simon on board.
From that massive news onto something I’m sure you’ll find interesting. This week we have made a rare mp3 exclusively available to Mosher Crew members. I was digging through the vaults (ie, my computer hard drive) and I came by a Grave Forsaken recording from late 2004. It is an early version of “Tribulation Cometh”, which later appeared on our first album. It is a very raw and underground version, and was recorded while we were still learning how to use my home studio. At the time we felt it was too unpolished for release, but now it is time to let you hear it. So if you are a Mosher Crew member, head over to the members area on our website and you will be able to download it. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, joining is free. Simply fill in the form on the Mosher Crew page at our website and you are in! When you’ve heard the song, I would encourage you to go post your thoughts on our official forum.
Well, that’s about it for this week. I’ve really been enjoying putting together a Monday Mosh each week, and long may it continue. At Grave Forsaken, we honestly strive to be a peoples band. We want the supporters of the band to feel like part of the family. We are here for you, and we really appreciate your encouragement. God has been teaching the band about patience lately. Sometimes I want to jump head first into situations and not really think them through. As we continue to build this ministry it becomes increasingly obvious that things only happen in God’s timing. We are blessed to have 3 albums and 2 EPs out, and we pray that those releases will be a blessing to you and your friends also. Until next time
MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Well here we are, edition 3 of the Monday Mosh already. I’m finding that time is flying now that I’m doing a weekly update. I’m really enjoying the process however.
We have a significant Monday Mosh today. First of all, we are celebrating the release This Day Forth last Friday. People who preordered should be getting their copies very shortly, and I know a lot of people already have received theirs. So far the feedback has been terrific! Thanks to all those people who have emailed in letting us know they love the disc. The general consensus is that it is our best album yet. I haven’t had one person say otherwise! We would really appreciate you all spreading the word about this release to your metal loving mates. We are part of an extremely competitive music market, and every sale counts. I was recently reading a thread on Firestream talking about how Christian metal bands survive. Well the simple answer is that nearly every Christian metal musician I know works a full time job to support their family. The only way Grave Forsaken happens is by us doing things in our spare time on weekends, evenings and mornings before work. If we didn’t love what we do so much, the whole thing would fall apart. We all dream of being full time musicians one day, but in the meantime we will just keep doing what we have to.
Anyway, enough soapboxing for now. To celebrate the release of This Day Forth on Soundmass, we have made a new song available on myspace. Visit www.myspace.com/graveforsaken and you will hear “Holy Blood”. We are so thrilled to finally have Holy Blood recorded and released, as the song has been written since 2006. It wasn’t until we were putting together this new album that we really got the arrangement and feel right. It’s one of those slow burners, but we think you’ll agree the final result speaks for itself. This weeks www.graveforsaken.com music stream will be Mother Of Harlots, This Day Forth and Holy Blood from the new album, so head over to the site and have a listen. While you’re there, post something in the forum to let us know what you think of the new album and tunes!
Also available are the official This Day Forth t-shirts from Soundmass. I have my shirt and I think it looks great. If a big robot laying waste to a city is your thing, then this shirt is for you! Also on the clothing front, we are looking into doing another batch of our famous Mosher Crew hoodies. Keep an eye out for them in the future.
Now onto some huge news for the band. Mosher Crew members will have picked up on this in Mosher Crew Confidential last week. It is with great pleasure that we welcome our newest member Simon Hoggett from Scourged Flesh into the band. That’s correct folks, we have a new member! Simon has been a great friend of the band for the last 18 months, and has now joined the ranks officially as second guitarist. Those who have been following the band closely will have seen Simon in Grave Forsaken TV a couple of times. Simon also filled in on drums for Dave a couple of times last year when Dave was unavailable.
By Simon coming in on guitar, it means that I will be putting down my guitar and switching to the role of full time lead vocals. I love playing my guitar live, however this move allows me to focus purely on the vocals and crowd interaction. Simon is a great rhythm player and has already learnt our entire setlist, so when you see us live next, you will really notice the improvement. Our recent rehearsals as a 5 piece with Simon have been truly awesome, and we are genuinely excited about unleashing this new line up live. So from all of us at Grave Forsaken, we would like to welcome Simon on board.
From that massive news onto something I’m sure you’ll find interesting. This week we have made a rare mp3 exclusively available to Mosher Crew members. I was digging through the vaults (ie, my computer hard drive) and I came by a Grave Forsaken recording from late 2004. It is an early version of “Tribulation Cometh”, which later appeared on our first album. It is a very raw and underground version, and was recorded while we were still learning how to use my home studio. At the time we felt it was too unpolished for release, but now it is time to let you hear it. So if you are a Mosher Crew member, head over to the members area on our website and you will be able to download it. If you aren’t in the Mosher Crew, joining is free. Simply fill in the form on the Mosher Crew page at our website and you are in! When you’ve heard the song, I would encourage you to go post your thoughts on our official forum.
Well, that’s about it for this week. I’ve really been enjoying putting together a Monday Mosh each week, and long may it continue. At Grave Forsaken, we honestly strive to be a peoples band. We want the supporters of the band to feel like part of the family. We are here for you, and we really appreciate your encouragement. God has been teaching the band about patience lately. Sometimes I want to jump head first into situations and not really think them through. As we continue to build this ministry it becomes increasingly obvious that things only happen in God’s timing. We are blessed to have 3 albums and 2 EPs out, and we pray that those releases will be a blessing to you and your friends also. Until next time
MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Monday, May 18, 2009
18th May 2009: Monday Mosh #2
18th May 2009: Monday Mosh #2
Thanks everyone for your awesome response to the first edition of the Monday Mosh last week. It’s really exciting to have a solid way to present the latest news to all our supporters.
Of course the big news this week is the imminent release of This Day Forth on Friday the 22nd. It has been a long time coming, but well and truly worth the wait. We’re hoping this new release will really excite thrash fans out there. I listen to a lot of thrash, and I feel this is one of the most old school and authentic thrash albums to come out of the Christian scene for a long time. We are very pleased with it. We can’t wait to start getting your feedback over the coming days and weeks. So don’t be a stranger and drop us a message.
We have recently taken advantage of myspace allowing 10 songs for streaming, and have added some more tracks. The songs uploaded represent good cross section of our material. If you’re not familiar with all our songs, head over to the myspace page at www.myspace.com/graveforsaken and have a listen. I’ve included tracks from all 3 albums and both EPs.
Yesterday we went to Fattdog Studio with the band to put down some new song ideas with Daniel Holmes, who has produced our last 2 albums. Even though This Day Forth is being released this week, the whole recording process started over a year ago, meaning we have quite a few new things we have been working on. We’re currently at the stage of consolidating riffs and putting together some arrangements. I imagine most bands would do the same thing as us, that is, have a cycle of new material in development all the time. Not to mention the fact that we absolutely love going to Fattdog and hanging out!
As well as working on ideas at Fattdog, Elias and I quite often demo our own ideas at our houses. I have North Wind Studio in my backroom. I have a Roland desk and a quadcore computer, so I am working on developing my own production skills. Since I got this setup up and running, Elias has inherited my old setup. That setup is what we used to record the original EP, as well as Harder To Hate from the first album. Between the two of us, we put a lot of ideas down. We are more than likely to make some of these available to the Mosher Crew as free downloads over the coming months.
Speaking of the Mosher Crew, I have just uploaded the video file for Mosher Crew Confidential Edition 1. Mosher Crew members can head over to the members area of our website www.graveforsaken.com and download the video. Currently I have it as a wmv file. If anyone can’t play the file, please email me at graveforsaken@graveforsaken.com and I can attempt to put it in a format that you can play. Remember that it is free to join the Mosher Crew. You just have to sign up at the Mosher Crew page and then you have access to the members area, as well as getting our monthly email newsletter and special offers on merch.
I have started posting this weekly blog on blogspot. It can be found at www.graveforsaken.blogspot.com for those who are interested. In fact, I’m doing my best to spread the blog as far and wide as possible. If you have any good ideas on where I can publish it I’d be happy to hear your feedback. The more people we can get reading the better obviously!
As promised, there will be an album or EP streaming each week. This week we are featuring the Horror And Sadness EP from 2007, so hang around at the website and have a listen. On the subject of the website, we are working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes to keep adding features. One of the next things will be a complete catalogue of lyrics, and the band bio isn’t far off either. We’re also thinking of resurrecting the editorials from the old website. Basically, we want to make the site a really interesting source of all things Grave Forsaken. A lot is happening, so please check back regularly.
Well people, that’s it for another week. Until the next mosh
ROCK ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Thanks everyone for your awesome response to the first edition of the Monday Mosh last week. It’s really exciting to have a solid way to present the latest news to all our supporters.
Of course the big news this week is the imminent release of This Day Forth on Friday the 22nd. It has been a long time coming, but well and truly worth the wait. We’re hoping this new release will really excite thrash fans out there. I listen to a lot of thrash, and I feel this is one of the most old school and authentic thrash albums to come out of the Christian scene for a long time. We are very pleased with it. We can’t wait to start getting your feedback over the coming days and weeks. So don’t be a stranger and drop us a message.
We have recently taken advantage of myspace allowing 10 songs for streaming, and have added some more tracks. The songs uploaded represent good cross section of our material. If you’re not familiar with all our songs, head over to the myspace page at www.myspace.com/graveforsaken and have a listen. I’ve included tracks from all 3 albums and both EPs.
Yesterday we went to Fattdog Studio with the band to put down some new song ideas with Daniel Holmes, who has produced our last 2 albums. Even though This Day Forth is being released this week, the whole recording process started over a year ago, meaning we have quite a few new things we have been working on. We’re currently at the stage of consolidating riffs and putting together some arrangements. I imagine most bands would do the same thing as us, that is, have a cycle of new material in development all the time. Not to mention the fact that we absolutely love going to Fattdog and hanging out!
As well as working on ideas at Fattdog, Elias and I quite often demo our own ideas at our houses. I have North Wind Studio in my backroom. I have a Roland desk and a quadcore computer, so I am working on developing my own production skills. Since I got this setup up and running, Elias has inherited my old setup. That setup is what we used to record the original EP, as well as Harder To Hate from the first album. Between the two of us, we put a lot of ideas down. We are more than likely to make some of these available to the Mosher Crew as free downloads over the coming months.
Speaking of the Mosher Crew, I have just uploaded the video file for Mosher Crew Confidential Edition 1. Mosher Crew members can head over to the members area of our website www.graveforsaken.com and download the video. Currently I have it as a wmv file. If anyone can’t play the file, please email me at graveforsaken@graveforsaken.com and I can attempt to put it in a format that you can play. Remember that it is free to join the Mosher Crew. You just have to sign up at the Mosher Crew page and then you have access to the members area, as well as getting our monthly email newsletter and special offers on merch.
I have started posting this weekly blog on blogspot. It can be found at www.graveforsaken.blogspot.com for those who are interested. In fact, I’m doing my best to spread the blog as far and wide as possible. If you have any good ideas on where I can publish it I’d be happy to hear your feedback. The more people we can get reading the better obviously!
As promised, there will be an album or EP streaming each week. This week we are featuring the Horror And Sadness EP from 2007, so hang around at the website and have a listen. On the subject of the website, we are working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes to keep adding features. One of the next things will be a complete catalogue of lyrics, and the band bio isn’t far off either. We’re also thinking of resurrecting the editorials from the old website. Basically, we want to make the site a really interesting source of all things Grave Forsaken. A lot is happening, so please check back regularly.
Well people, that’s it for another week. Until the next mosh
ROCK ON
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
Saturday, May 16, 2009
11th May 2009: Monday Mosh #1
Hi, this is Vaughan Gregory from Grave Forsaken. Welcome to the first Grave Forsaken Monday Mosh. I will be endeavouring to post a Monday Mosh each week on, you guessed it, Monday!
The purpose of this blog is to keep you up to date with what Grave Forsaken are up to on a weekly basis. We have some pretty exciting plans for the remainder of the year, and we want you, the Grave Forsaken supporter, to be part of what we are doing.
The first thing I need to remind everyone of is the need to rejoin (or join for the first time) the Mosher Crew on our new website. You simply need to go the Mosher Crew page and fill in the form. This will allow you access to the members area, where you will be privy to Mosher Crew downloads and video. You will also receive our monthly Mosher Crew newsletter via email.
Once a month we will be putting an unreleased studio recording or live track in the members area of our website. If you go there right now you will find a rough mix of “The Calling” from our live recording due out later in the year. This is not a final version, but it gives you a good idea of what the recording will sound like. I’m actually right in the middle of mixing the recording here at North Wind Studio. There are so many jobs to do in a band like ours, so it’s a matter of constantly plugging away on things.
Another monthly feature in the members area will be our new video series “Mosher Crew Confidential”. Unlike Grave Forsaken TV, Mosher Crew Confidential won’t be posted on Youtube – it will be only available to our members. It will be a video news update, bringing the crew completely up to date with the latest happenings in the Grave Forsaken camp.
Speaking of Grave Forsaken TV, if you go to this location, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFmrrSGPZpQ you will be able to watch Episode 8 – The History Of Grave Forsaken: Part I. This is one of my favourite episodes so far. It takes you through the early history of my old band Sanctified. There is some archival footage from 1996 in there, so look out for that. It was made with the cooperation of my good friend and former bandmate Chris Connor. Thanks Chris for supporting my vision to tell the full story of the origins of the current Grave Forsaken.
We are now less than 2 weeks away from the release of our new album “This Day Forth” on Soundmass. We are very excited about this release, it is a massive step up from “Destined For Ascension”. Please support the band by heading over to the Soundmass site and picking up a copy of the album. All preorders receive our feature length documentary on “The Making Of This Day Forth”. This is one of the most comprehensive documentaries about a Christian metal band you’ll ever see, so don’t miss it! If I can indulge a little, countless hours were spent filming and editing this documentary. It might not be Flight 666, but we are pleased with it none the less.
You may have noticed we have been streaming the debut EP on the site. From now on we will be streaming a different EP or album each week. This week it’s Beside The River Of Blood, so have a listen when you get a chance, especially if you don’t yet own the album.
There has been a bit going on behind the scenes lately, as always. There is an interesting bit of news that will be coming up in the next couple of weeks that we feel will greatly enhance the band. Stay tuned for that announcement.
As I sign off this first edition of the Monday Mosh, I’m listening to a mix of the live recording I’ve been working on through my studio headphones. We still haven’t worked out exactly how this recording will be released, but I know the hardcore supporters will be really keen to hear it. It’s one of those recordings that is flawed, but there is a raw honesty to it that I’m really digging. I hope you will to.
Until next time…
MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
The purpose of this blog is to keep you up to date with what Grave Forsaken are up to on a weekly basis. We have some pretty exciting plans for the remainder of the year, and we want you, the Grave Forsaken supporter, to be part of what we are doing.
The first thing I need to remind everyone of is the need to rejoin (or join for the first time) the Mosher Crew on our new website. You simply need to go the Mosher Crew page and fill in the form. This will allow you access to the members area, where you will be privy to Mosher Crew downloads and video. You will also receive our monthly Mosher Crew newsletter via email.
Once a month we will be putting an unreleased studio recording or live track in the members area of our website. If you go there right now you will find a rough mix of “The Calling” from our live recording due out later in the year. This is not a final version, but it gives you a good idea of what the recording will sound like. I’m actually right in the middle of mixing the recording here at North Wind Studio. There are so many jobs to do in a band like ours, so it’s a matter of constantly plugging away on things.
Another monthly feature in the members area will be our new video series “Mosher Crew Confidential”. Unlike Grave Forsaken TV, Mosher Crew Confidential won’t be posted on Youtube – it will be only available to our members. It will be a video news update, bringing the crew completely up to date with the latest happenings in the Grave Forsaken camp.
Speaking of Grave Forsaken TV, if you go to this location, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFmrrSGPZpQ you will be able to watch Episode 8 – The History Of Grave Forsaken: Part I. This is one of my favourite episodes so far. It takes you through the early history of my old band Sanctified. There is some archival footage from 1996 in there, so look out for that. It was made with the cooperation of my good friend and former bandmate Chris Connor. Thanks Chris for supporting my vision to tell the full story of the origins of the current Grave Forsaken.
We are now less than 2 weeks away from the release of our new album “This Day Forth” on Soundmass. We are very excited about this release, it is a massive step up from “Destined For Ascension”. Please support the band by heading over to the Soundmass site and picking up a copy of the album. All preorders receive our feature length documentary on “The Making Of This Day Forth”. This is one of the most comprehensive documentaries about a Christian metal band you’ll ever see, so don’t miss it! If I can indulge a little, countless hours were spent filming and editing this documentary. It might not be Flight 666, but we are pleased with it none the less.
You may have noticed we have been streaming the debut EP on the site. From now on we will be streaming a different EP or album each week. This week it’s Beside The River Of Blood, so have a listen when you get a chance, especially if you don’t yet own the album.
There has been a bit going on behind the scenes lately, as always. There is an interesting bit of news that will be coming up in the next couple of weeks that we feel will greatly enhance the band. Stay tuned for that announcement.
As I sign off this first edition of the Monday Mosh, I’m listening to a mix of the live recording I’ve been working on through my studio headphones. We still haven’t worked out exactly how this recording will be released, but I know the hardcore supporters will be really keen to hear it. It’s one of those recordings that is flawed, but there is a raw honesty to it that I’m really digging. I hope you will to.
Until next time…
MOSH ON!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken
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