His Name Was Michael Myre

Michael Myre is another name you may have noticed reoccurring over the course of my tale, and no I am not referring to the silent slasher in John Carpenter's movie "Halloween" Some readers may recall me mentioning his sister Dorothea whom I met in grade 6. All through middle school she was always telling me how I reminded her of her brother. I finally met Mike once I was attending high school and it was cool to finally put a face to the name I had been hearing for the last 3 years. It all made sense why I reminded her of her brother, we were both fairly tall, dark hair, dark eyes, metal in our blood, and we shared a common bond, we both had one parent who was of Greek decent, for me it was my father, for Mike it was his mother. Truth be told we could have easily been mistaken for brothers, even up to this present day.

I met Mike through the older thrashers in my school, mainly John, as they were band mates. Mike was a really nice guy and was also quite funny. He had a knack for spinning yarn and telling tall tales so straight faced that you wouldn't even slightly sense his undertones of sarcasm and blatant lying, it was almost like a game for him waiting to see how long it took you to catch onto the fact he was blowing smoke up your ass. Mike was also a highly intelligent person and to this day he still remains as one of the smartest people I know. I can remember him teaching me about forensic science back in the 80s when it was breaking through as well as a lot of other interesting things, most of which were science related. Years later during my graduating year we actually were in co-op together. I couldn't figure out why he was still in High school years after he should have graduated. Turns out Mike decided to acquire every possible credit he could with the ambitions of having multiple career choices later in life, but unsurprisingly Mike landed in the field if Science.

Mike was also one of the first guys I ever knew who had a tattoo, the Corrosion of Conformity skull, and it adorned his right bicep with honour. This of course only made him 10 times cooler in my eyes, not to mention on top of all that he was one hell of a guitar player who is without a doubt one of the most musically talented people that I've ever met in my life. Mike was also a generally nice guy, never judging a younger kid like myself, and he always took the time to stop and chat and he was always cracking jokes, usually at the expense of others. Mind you he also used to tell the corniest jokes too that would have you groaning while he laughed hysterically.

Mike ended up landing a job at Bramalea city centre in the Sears store where I used to shoplift frequently, so I started visiting him a lot while putting in my hours as a mall rat. Turned out the OTHER guitarist from E.B.S. worked there as well. His name was...

The Trendy Faggot From Bramalea

If you've even been half heartedly following this story since the beginning then you should be familiar with the name John McCuish, the Scottish AC/DC fanatic who grew up on my street with me. The same guy who even though he was older than me, treated me as an equal growing up despite a bit of teasing and taunting on occasion. The same guy who became the drummer of E.B.S. and turned me onto them in the first place. The same guy who approached me one day in high school, handed me a cassette and said "Here you go Theo, check out our demo" and believe you me I did exactly just that the moment I walked in the house after school. For some reason I didn't have my Walkman with me that day so I had no other choice but to wait until I arrived home for the debut listen, one that left an everlasting impression on me to say the least.

The first song on the tape kind of threw me off as it was a cover version of "La Bamba" a far cry from thrash or hardcore, but in seconds I was laughing as they had replaced the lyrics with ones from a taco commercial. The rest of the tape was solid and thoroughly enjoyable. The two stand out songs for me were "Soap" and "The Trendy Faggot From Bramalea" a little ditty about a guy named Ronnie who was the former drummer of EBS. According to the song he had turned his back on his friends and band mates for a girl, Jen.

Always being one that had to know the inside scoop on every song by every band, I approached John the next day to see what kind of information I could acquire on Ronnie. John was pretty vague and didn't really give me the answers I was looking for except one, where to find him. John told me Ronnie worked at "Discus" a record store in my 2nd home, the Bramalea City Centre. Naturally I made my way there that evening and went browsing in Discus. Sure enough there was Ronnie in all his glory, sitting behind the counter flipping through pages of some magazine. I struck up some small talk with him, playing dumb like I had no clue who he was. Eventually we got on the topic of EBS and Ronnie mentioned he used to drum for them. I went off about how great of a band they are and asked why he would leave such a kick ass band. Ronnie gave me some reason that escapes me now but I believe it was a tall tale as he made no mention of Jen. All in all Ronnie was a really nice guy and easy to talk to, even if he had sold out his friends for a piece of tail.

I continued to visit Ronnie every time I was at the mall and we would talk rock. Ron also gave me carte blanche to take anything I wanted without paying for it, granted he didn't actually witness it. The next thing you knew I was showing up there with all my DJ'S buddies and we were stealing epic amounts of vinyl on a daily basis. Ronnie may have been dubbed "The Trendy Faggot From Bramalea" but in my books he was aces!

Biotech is Bagzilla

So this past Saturday night I had the pleasure of heading downtown Toronto with my best friend Jerry to the Hard Luck club to see some live music, but not just any ordinary bands. We had the pleasure of witnessing live performances from two Brampton bands we grew up following and idolizing, Curious Mold and Epileptic Brain Surgeons. I'd like to give additional props to the two other bands that played, Soulstorm & Fatality but it was Mold & E.B.S. that made the night magical for me.

After 25 years of first hearing these bands, their songs still fill me with the same energy and happiness as they always did. I had the biggest smile on my face and as most of you know that is somewhat rare for me. It was amazing to see these guys do their thing once again, and considering they are all over 40 years of age now, they still throw down as hard as ever...perhaps even tighter than they did in the 80's.

I've remained friends with the EBS crew over the years and was honoured and privileged when they asked yours truly to join them on stage to sing one of their songs "Seizure in the mall" to which I happily and eagerly agreed. Once on stage the quiet, laid back guy I am disappeared and from within me came the energetic, animalistic maniac that I tend to turn into on stage. Lyrics were screamed, mic stands were tossed, and my burning carcass thrashed about like there was no tomorrow.

All in all it was an amazing night and quite possibly one of my favourite performances from both bands respectively, even though it was sadly their last. To make things even greater EBS were giving out free CDs of their latest and final recording ever. In ode to my brothers I've decided to dedicate this weeks blog to them, each post telling their story and my involvement in it. Thanks for the amazing memories guys, I love you all.

Four 0

It seems like I have to start off yet another blog with a sympathetic apology. I took a couple of weeks off from writing over the Christmas holidays and its been somewhat of a chore getting back into the swing of things to say the least. Last Monday was the first official posting of 2013 for Heavy Ghetto, and I had planned to return with a vengeance. That vengeance was short lived as I only managed to post two entries last week, then my birthday hit and I kind of dropped the ball for the remainder of the week.

I worked all weekend and was geared up for Monday-Wednesday off, figuring it would give me ample time to write a weeks worth of blog entries but unfortunately such did not happen. I was once again consumed with life, cleaning, laundry, & tattooing, and just didn't find or make the time to write. I did manage to work a little on some new music for my next future endeavour, so it was nice to get some creativity out of my head.

I think taking such a big break from writing has made me neglect it and I'm truly struggling to get that fire lit again because there is still much of the story to be told. I think turning 40 last week kind of interfered with writing as well, as it had me in somewhat of a dark place temporarily. I never imagined or pictured myself alone on my 40th. No friends, no party, no significant other, just me in solitary. My ex wife couldn't even find two seconds of time and decency to dial my phone so my son could say "happy birthday dad" a simple gesture that definitely would have brightened the day. I think the only saving grace for me was the overwhelming love, outreach, and support I received from hundreds of friends, fans, and family members on Facebook. It was nice to see that so many people took the time to think about me and show they cared.

My only advice to anyone turning 40 would be....do something to make it memorable. Please don't perceive this as a pity party, I am merely sharing my experience, and giving some whole hearted advice that I hope you keep in mind. With that said let us get back to the story...

Death Angel

Grade 10 was underway and it was a warm, beautiful fall season. While on lunch one day at my frequent food spot Pizzaville, I over heard a few of the older thrasher guys talking about a concert that was happening that week. Bay Area thrashers Death Angel were playing Toronto! Up to this point in my life I had never been to a real concert with the exception of seeing a few old, boring bands with my folks as well as seeing Kim Mitchell perform at Canada's Wonderland, my sister brought me to that one. During grade school and middle school my sister had attended a lot of cool concerts like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, & Helix, just to name a few.

I was always begging my mother to let me attend said concerts with my sister, but mama always refused as they seemed to land on school nights and she was concerned I wouldn't get up in the morning...please! Looking back now I can only assume my over protective mother was once again trying to shield me from the evils of heavy metal and the drug usage associated with such concerts. Now that I was a man (15) the time had come for me to finally attend a concert. I caught wind of the Death Angel show on a Monday and the gig was only two days away!

Seeing as it was on a Wednesday night I was almost certain my mother wouldn't let me attend but I asked her anyways and much to my surprise and amazement she actually said yes! I was shocked and dumbfounded over how quickly she made her decision. I couldn't wait to get back to school the next day and share my success story with my friends. Come Tuesday morning I was spreading the word to my pals, who were all equally excited as I was. They all vowed to return home that day and convince their parents to let them attend.

Wednesday morning came and I eagerly rushed off to a school to see what the verdict would be in regards to my friends going. A few of them got the yes, a few got the no. There was one "no" however that was the biggest disappointment of all, my best friend Jerry. Since Jer was held back a year in grade two, he was actually the only one of us who was 16, which he had turned in October. Jerry even got his 365 AND license all on the day of his 16th birthday. Unfortunately his folks felt Toronto was much too dangerous of a place for a kid his age to venture off to on a school night as a new driver. Even when we went shopping their during the day on weekends his Dad was always convinced we would be robbed and killed by Skinheads.

With no ride to the concert my chances were looking slim and my mind was filling with doubt. I only had one last chance and option...to ask the older thrashers if I could go with them. When the lunch bell rang I sprinted down to Pizzaville to ask the big question. Once again I was shot down. They already had 6 guys going down in a car that comfortably seated five. I understood but I was deflated, depressed, and devastated that my folks had finally given me permission to goto my first concert yet I couldn't go...

The only thing that could have cheered me up at that moment would have been the ability to look into the future and see that I would in fact get to a Death Angel concert almost exactly one year later...

2013

Greetings everyone and happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday festivities with your family and friends and I wish you all the best for 2013. They say this has been dubbed "the year of change" which is quite suiting as I plan on making a lot of significant changes in my life this year. If it does happen to be a year of change for you I truly hope all your changes are for the better and are on the positive side of things. I myself am looking to quit smoking once and for all, and to start exercising and eating healthier, as I am turning the big 40 this month.

Before we get back into the story of Heavy Ghetto I figured I'd take the opportunity to share what's going on in my life presently. First and foremost my latest effort 73' was released a mere month ago on December 12th, 2012 and I couldn't be happier with the results. If you haven't had a chance to hear it or download it then I strongly suggest you check it out:

www.kabal.bandcamp.com/album/73

I had taken a break from music the past few months as I had become romantically involved with someone, but unfortunately that fizzled out and I am once again a free agent with free time to get back on track and focus all my energy on my number one passion in life, music. I am currently starting production on a new album entitled "what's below remains below" and I'm stepping away from the sounds of the 70's that inspired my last album and am returning to my usual formula that has shaped and defined my sound over the last decade. You can check out the first song "Kevin's not here" by visiting the link below.

www.kabal.bandcamp.com/album/whatsbelowremainsbelow

To celebrate and commemorate 13 years of me producing my own music now, I have also added the very first effort of mine to my bandcamp page, a 32 minute ep entitled "teknow terror" although I was never a fan of techno music I decided to create my own album back in 2000 just to test the waters as far as producing goes, and I fell in love with production instantly. Now for the first time 13 years later I have decided to make it available to the public. You can download the entire ep for free at:

www.kabal.bandcamp.com/album/teknowterror

That's all for know folks, please join me tomorrow as we get back on track to our regular scheduled story...