DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM

was defi nitely never part of the equation, at least consciously. When we started, the idea was to keep it pretty heavy but have a point to everything and try to not do anything any of us had already done.” came together four years ago, before went on its current indefi nite hiatus. Trohman met Ian through a mutual friend, and despite vastly different résumés, the guitarists bonded over a shared love of classic rock. “We met and talked about bands we were into, especially the older rock bands that kick-started the idea of heavy metal, like Black Sabbath and ,” says Trohman, who had played in metal groups with Hurley before Fall Out

Clay Patrick McBride Clay Patrick Boy formed. “It was like, ‘We both like this stuff. Oh, you’re writing music? Oh, I like writing, too. Let’s do a band.’” They had no trouble recruiting the other members, but all three of their regular bands were busy with other projects at the time. , , Keith It was only recently that the six musicians Buckley, , found time to cut Ironiclast, produced by Trohman and Caggiano, and prepare for their fi rst-ever U.S. tour. “We’d been trying our best to wait to unleash this band and do THE DAMNED THINGS it properly, in a way it wouldn’t be offensive Fall Out Boy + Anthrax + = a to the other bands we were in or offensive to the fans,” Trohman says. “We don’t want different kind of rock supergroup to confuse people.” And they don’t want to stop now. The Damned Things (named for a THE FIRST SOUND ON IRONICLAST, rock melodies remind one of Fall Out Boy, line in Ram Jam’s ’70s version of Leadbelly’s the debut album from unlikely hard-rock former home to Damned Things guitarist Joe “Black Betty”) will tour together through at supergroup the Damned Things, is a monster Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley. least the end of February, and plans are guitar riff characteristic of six-string slingers Trohman is used to hearing such already afoot for another album. “I troll the Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano from thrash- piecemeal dissections, but he sees the internet like a creep, and I’ve seen people metal mainstay Anthrax. The songs that band as more than the mathematical sum be like, ‘This better not be a one-off, or I’m follow are fast, tight and laser-precise—kind of its parts. “It’s easy to say that, because going to be pissed off,’” he says. “I like of like Every Time I Die, singer some of it’s heavy, and some of it’s melodic,” that. I’m already thinking of how I want the and bassist Josh Newton’s veteran metal- he says. “But we wrote what we liked. We next one to sound.” core outfi t. Meanwhile, the soaring modern- weren’t saying, ‘Let’s do an equal mix.’ That –Kenneth Partridge

Now that Vincent is one of the leading fi gures in modern time. “I made it a personal goal,” says Vincent, who has focused bluegrass, she’s taking on a new challenge. She recently launched more on her vocals over the last several years—and been named her own independent label, through which she released her new the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Female Vocalist of album, Taken. “I eliminated the middleman,” she explains. “It was the Year seven times. “I’ve played a few pieces here and there, but a viable route to go, though it had its challenges. When it came not every mandolin piece on an entire album.” time to write a check, it was the fi rst time that I didn’t have an Two decades after the release of her debut album, A Dream advance, so it was scary. But it’s also very exciting. During Come True, Vincent continues to push herself artistically. “When I go meetings, somebody would ask, ‘Who do you need to check with?’ into the studio, I always try to make something better and I always try And I would reply, ‘Let me check with the A&R department. OK, to do something we haven’t done before,” she says. “It’s a challenge, that’s me. I say let’s do this.’” but there’s always the same rule of thumb. It has to feel good in my DECEMBERRecorded 2010 with M her MUSIC longtime backing& MUSICIANS band, the Rage, MAGAZINE Taken heart before we send it off for folks to listen to.” Those folks sent features guest appearances from Dolly Parton, Richard Marx, Little Taken to No. 1 on Billboard’s bluegrass chart upon its release. “It Roy Lewis and Vincent’s daughters Sally and Tensel Sandker (who told me this was really the right choice,” she says. “It’s like a stamp have a group of their own, Next Best Thing). The album found Vincent of approval, something that says, ‘Job well done.’” going back to basics by playing more mandolin than she has in some –Lee Zimmerman

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