{"id":1584,"date":"2010-02-13T22:00:32","date_gmt":"2010-02-14T05:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.americanheartbreak.com\/rnrgeekwp\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2010-02-13T22:02:44","modified_gmt":"2010-02-14T05:02:44","slug":"michael-butler-vs-anvil-hairbangers-ball-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americanheartbreak.com\/rnrgeekwp\/michael-butler-vs-anvil-hairbangers-ball-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Butler vs. Anvil – Hairbangers Ball Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday Feb 6, 2010 , I interviewed Anvil <\/a>at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. They’ve been touring pretty much non-stop since the documentary “The Story of Anvil” came out. I brought along Eddie Daroza, who ran the camera for me.
\nThanks to super producer Shane Chisholm and Julie Ark for lining up the interview for me.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

About Anvil:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"anvil5.gif\"<\/p>\n

Bio<\/strong>
\nIf you were to look up the word \u201cperseverance\u201d in the almighty handbook of heavy metal, there may very well be a photo of Canadian metalists, Anvil. Since their 1981 debut, Hard N\u2019 Heavy, the group \u2013 which was co-founded by singer\/guitarist Steve \u201cLips\u201d Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner \u2013 has been listed by many as one of the creators of the thrash\/speed metal genre (especially on such Chris Tsangarides-produced classics as 1982\u2019s Metal on Metal and 1983\u2019s Forged in Fire). But due to subsequent bad record deals, bad management, and just plain bad luck, Anvil appeared to take a back seat to a new wave of metal bands \u2013 most of which listed the group as a prime influence. However, Anvil has never stopped rocking, and with the arrival of the critically-acclaimed\/surprise hit film, \u201cAnvil! The Story of Anvil\u201d (directed by Sacha Gervasi), the group is back where they belong \u2013 at the forefront of heavy metal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite amazing, really,\u201d admits Lips. \u201cIt\u2019s the prime example of what it means to be a rock n\u2019 roller, go out there, and try to make it. And believe me, most of the scene is guys like me. It\u2019s very seldom and rare that anybody makes it \u2013 to what people mean by \u2018making it\u2019.\u201d Reiner seconds the sentiment \u2013 \u201cThe movie has gone beyond my expectations. It\u2019s been mind-blowing \u2013 to see what\u2019s come from the movie and how much it actually has helped the band.\u201d When asked what their favorite scene was, both agree on the unveiling of a certain painting of Reiner\u2019s (that resides down a stairway in his home \u2013 you\u2019ll have to see the movie for more info!). As far as a scene from the film that is hard to watch, Reiner says, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing hard looking back at it,\u201d while Lips feels differently: \u201cMy least favorite part is when they show me naked!\u201d<\/p>\n

And although there are certainly some zany Spinal Tap-like parallels between Anvil and David St. Hubbins and company, Anvil has always been taken seriously by metalheads, including some very well known ones, who praise the band in the film. \u201cAnvil was one of those bands that just put on this really amazing live performance,\u201d said Velvet Revolver\/ex-Guns N\u2019 Roses guitarist Slash, while Motorhead singer\/bassist Lemmy added, \u201cThey were a great band \u2013 I always liked Anvil,\u201d and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich gushed, \u201cThese guys were going to turn the music world upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having issued a total of seventeen releases between 1981 and 2004, the group, that also includes bassist Glenn Five, reconnected with Tsangarides (Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest) for their thirteenth studio album, eighteenth release overall, This is Thirteen. The turbulent-yet-triumphant sessions were well-documented in the \u201cAnvil!\u201d film. \u201cIt differs in one vast sense \u2013 the production,\u201d explains Reiner. \u201c\u2018This is Thirteen\u2019 was produced by Chris Tsangarides, who produced \u2018Metal on Metal\u2019 and \u2018Forged in Fire\u2019 \u2013 probably the most famous, classic Anvil albums. With Chris, we created that classic Anvil magic sound \u2013 that previous records were lacking. The last four or five albums, material-wise, were all similar. We had been trying to find the direction back to the classic Anvil style and sound \u2013 it\u2019s just the production hadn\u2019t been up to scratch. Chris was a big missing part on our past albums.\u201d<\/p>\n

As evidenced by such vintage Anvil-sounding ragers as \u201cFeed the Greed,\u201d \u201cAmerican Refugee,\u201d and the title track, This is Thirteen is certainly the strongest Anvil release in a long time. Originally put out by the band themselves and sold through their website, the album is now seeing proper national distribution via CD (with \u201cThumb Hang\u201d added as a bonus track) as well as a double gate-fold vinyl version (including two additional bonus tracks) through VH1 Classic Records. Additionally, due to the film\u2019s success, Anvil received an invite from AC\/DC to open mammoth football stadium shows for the legendary Aussie rockers on their \u201cBlack Ice\u201d tour, while a book about the group\u2019s career (which shares the same name as the movie) appeared as well. Add to it a DVD release of the movie in Fall 2009, and a new studio album that is already written and just needs to be recorded (titled Juggernaut of Justice), and it certainly appears as though Anvil is making the most out of their \u201csecond life.\u201d And as Lips adds, the group\u2019s rapid-fire workpace will not slow down, despite all the newfound success. \u201cWorking. More recording. More gigs. More \u2013 more than ever!<\/p>\n

\nhttp:\/\/m.podshow.com\/media\/21754\/episodes\/213148\/hairbangersball-213148-02-11-2010.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts<\/a> | RSS<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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