Saturday, November 13, 2010

Meet your hosts: TJ

I'm finally getting around to posting this. Sorry for the wait, everyone. Here you go...

How long I've been a host:
I've been at Metal Oxide since fall 2009 (I think, maybe winter '09). I wasn't an "official" host until January-ish, but I started hanging out with Melanie and Rita at the show a while before that.

Major:
Heh, Melanie told you hers, so I guess I should too. I'm a Classics Major at the moment, that's why I try to read Latin in song titles whenever I can, even though I'm bad at it

Favorite Genre:
Folk Metal. The amount of culture, heritage and history that folk metal bands can put into their material is amazing. The history buff in me can't get enough of Tyr singing about when a Bishop came and converted the Faeroe Islands by force, or when Turisas sings about sailing down to "Konstantinopolis". Also, it blends all the best aspects of other genres to create in my opinion, the best one.

Top 10 Bands:
1. Blind Guardian
2. Ensiferum
3. Turisas
4. Tyr
5. Korpiklaani
6. Eluveitie
7. Nevermore
8. Sonata Arctica
9. Equilibrium
10. Amon Amarth

Favorite Song:
"The Heart Collector" - Nevermore

Favorite Album:
Live - Blind Guardian

First Concert:
Well....my first concert was Weird Al Yankovic, years ago. But my first metal concert was Sounds of the Underground 2007. It was intense, especially for my first concert. About 12 hours just to see Amon Amarth play 4 songs. Gwar was cool, but I didn't really care for the other bands.

Favorite Concert:
Hmmmmm.......really hard to say. My first thought (and very close second) is the Nevermore concert I saw recently at Reggie's; they just played such an amazing show and I met them, thanks to Melanie. There's also the Tyr, Alestorm and Act of Destruction show back at the Pearl Room, which was the first time I saw either of them. And there's the Tyr an Korpiklaani show, also amazing. But I think I have to go with Ensiferum, when they headlined at Logan Square was amazing because they played two sets worth of time (One of the bands opening for them couldn't make it, so they went on early and played until the regular time). And that leads me to my favorite live band...

Favorite Live Band:
ENSIFERUM!!!!! They play such a good show. They all have such a good stage presence and their songs are so great. It's hard to choose though, and even though I think there are bands hat might play better (Amon Amarth, Nevermorem, etc) but I just love Ensiferum so much, that I had to pick them.

Favorite Book:
The Godless World Trilogy, by Brian Ruckley
(Winterbirth, Bloodheir, The Fall of Thanes)

Favorite Movie:
13th Warrior

Hobbies:
DISCLAIMER: I'm a nerd.
I play World of Warcraft. Too bad, I love it.
I also play other games like Day of Defeat, Counter Strike, Mount and Blade, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Rome: Total War, and Starcraft.
I also rides bikes sometimes, and I'm a bit of a carpenter. But that's about it.

Favorite Sport:
Hockey (Blackhawks, of course!)

Well, that's about it. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you want to know anything else, you'll have to ask me.

TJ

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Meet your hosts: Melanie

So I know I've said that I would be on here more often but the past two weeks I have left my laptop at home and getting up to write in the computer room at the station does not seem too appealing...ergo no posts. However, today I have my laptop and lots of free time for writing so I will do my "Meet your hosts" blog and hopefully my Nevermore blog as well. We'll see how I feel after this one.

Meet your host: Melanie

How long have you been on Metal Oxide?

-I have been here since August 2009. I joined the show the day that TJ #1 ended his time here so it was kind of awkward but fun. I have been at almost every single show since then (excluding vacations).


What is your major?:

-I had to put this question on, I work at a college radio station. My major is German and I am an education minor so hopefully one day I will be teaching German in high school.


Top 10 bands:

-I mentioned this one earlier tonight so I had some time to think about it. It is always hard to limit myself to just 10 and the bands tend to switch around based on what I am listening to most at the moment. Here is what I came up with today:

1. TYR
2. Cradle of Filth
3. Dimmu Borgir
4. Turisas
5. Ensiferum
6. Sonata Arctica
7. Korpiklaani
8. Alestorm
9. Mindless Self Indulgence
10. Blind Guardian
(11) Nevermore

I needed 11 spots, 10 is not enough.


What is your favorite live band?:

-Cradle of Filth puts on a great live show and I always enjoy going. I really loved seeing Korpiklaani live and of course Tyr. Blackguard is a band that I didn't really care for but they put on such a great love show that they earned my respect. Same with 3 Inches of Blood. Best local band is Act of Destruction.


First concert:

-Don't laugh. I was young and ignorant. My first concert was at the Riviera seeing the All-American Rejects. Then I saw H.I.M. a few months later and then Cradle.


Most recent concert:

-Nevermore


Best concert:

1. Tyr, Alestorm, Suidakra, Act of Destruction

2. Korpiklaani, Tyr, Swashbuckle, White Wizzard

3. Cradle of Filth, The 69 Eyes, 3 Inches of Blood

4. Eluveitie, Alestorm/Swashbuckle


Best live moment:

-Seeing Alestorm live and realizing Swashbuckle was in the audience and had come to see them, then joined them on stage for "Nancy the Tavern Wench" and later joined Eluveitie for "Inis Mona".


Favorite song:

-"Ragnarok"- Tyr


Favorite movie:

-Lord of the Rings. If I have to choose one of the three it would be "The Two Towers". And yes I am incredibly excited for "The Hobbit" to come out!


Free time:

-I read, knit (epic sweaters), paint my nails (Blackhawks, Nevermore, Turisas...) and of course listen to music.


Favorite sport:

-Hockey (go Blackhawks)

-Rugby (Wales)

-Tennis (Rafa)

-Soccer (Deutschland und Espana)

-Baseball (Phillies)



Where were you born?:

-Pennsylvania


Favorite video game:

-Doctor Mario for the NES

-Civilization Revolution for the DS (I conquer the world as various historical figures!)

-Pokemon for the Gameboy


Tattoos:

-Three: Ball of yarn on my left foot; Book on my right foot; JRR Tolkien insignia on my right inner calf.


Books:

-Frankenstein- Mary Shelly

-War of the Worlds- H. G. Wells

-Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

-Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling

-Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkien

-The Historian- Elizabeth Kostova

-Oryx and Crake- Margaret Atwood

-The Giver- Lois Lowry

-The Vampire Chronicles- Anne Rice



Any other questions? Ask me.

That's all for now...

-M
Hello, Everyone!

Nothing special happened this week; we didn't have any special theme or anything. So, we just played some good songs and had a good time. We also had some requests tonight: someone requested Hammerfall's "Hearts on Fire", and the bassist from the local band, Act of Destruction, called in and requested one of their songs, "Blood and Death". The show went very well this week.

As far as news went this week.....there wasn't a whole lot. Beside tour updates, we only mentioned that Septic Flesh has finished recording their new, as-of-yet untitled, album. One of the songs is going to be released on December 17th, and the album will hopefully follow shortly after.


The playlist from this week:
"Beauty and the Beast" - Nightwish
"The Soulforged" - Blind Guardian
"The Last Amazing Grays" - Sonata Arctica
"Moonrise" - Nevermore
"Saffron's Curse" - Cradle of Filth
"The Gods Weep" - Chthonic
"The Serpentine Offering" - Dimmu Borgir
"Hearts on Fire" - Hammerfall
"Deadly Sinners" - 3 Inches of Blood
"They Only Come Out at Night" - Lordi
"The Ancient Forest of Elves" - Luca Turilli
"Winds of One Thousand Winters" - Mael Mordha
"Blood and Death" - Act of Destruction
"Verbrannte Erde" - Equilibrium
"Perkele" - Amorphis
"Sleeping Stars" - Wintersun
"Dreams" - Tyr
"The March of the Varangian Guard" - Turisas
(see post my "New Turisas Song!" from November 2nd)
"Devil Women" - Cradle of Filth