Hide Your Lawnmowers! Dead Serios is Back???

Hoogah-Chakka

Hoogah-Chakka!

Could it be? Central Florida comedy punk metal legends, Dead Serios are going to record a new album? That would be a quadruple badass surgery on my senses. That would make my year! My favorite band of all time coming (once again) out of retirement to show everyone how its done! This needs to happen! 

Bear with me for a moment. Let me reminisce for a moment! I remember my long time best friend at one of their shows in the 90's, during their hit song 'Lawn Care Studs' going, and grabbing a REAL lawnmower, firing it up, and moshing around the pit with it as lead singer, DL Serios led the pit with his sacrificial Playschool lawnmower. I remember seeing 1500 people pack out the Power Station in Melbourne Florida to see the band open for a national touring act, and half the audience leaving after their set, leaving the national band wondering where half the crowd went. 

Dead Serios was the band that every local band wanted to be. They were loud, obnoxious, funny, and extremely talented, and EVERYONE loved them, and still does. You couldn't see them in concert for the first time and not love them. DL Serios is one of the greatest frontmen to ever step on the stage. Bassist, Joe Delcorvo is among the skill set of Steve Harris. Guitarist, Doug Gibson is an upper echelon shredder, who could easily match up with some of the worldwide greats. Drummer, Scooter Greenbud is one of the best drummers in Central Florida, and could fill in for any national band. So, am I excited about this possibility? You betcha!

Anyway, here's the story. Record label, Ghoul Tone Records, who released the Dead Serios tribute album in 2015 has contacted the band, asking them to record a new album. They are also re-releasing the entire Dead Serios catalog, completely remastered! SWEET! And, I was just thinking about asking DL for a bunch of the classic songs on MP3. So, I'm stoked. Now, I'll be able to get ALL of them! And, you will too. Now, we just have to convince the band to play more shows. We all need this. We need the standard setter for local bands back in action. Central Florida needs it. If the band can win enough new fans, we would have packed local shows again. 

We NEED this!
Almost as much as we need Ozzy!

So, at this point, all we can do is hope. We'll probably get a new album, and the remastered catalog. But, in the meantime, here is the original version of the Dead Serios classic, Ranks of the Unemployed. Enjoy!

Yes, I'm a giddy little fangirl over the POSSIBILITY of a Dead Serios reunion.

Listen to the Will and Thunder Show!

Tuesday nights* from 10PM to Midnight Eastern time. 

Click here to go to the official website of the Will and Thunder Show

We have weekly guests mostly from the music world! Check out the William Telltale Facebook Page for the show schedules.

About the show:

We are a newer show, that centers around giving bands exposure, whether they are unsigned or signed. But, we are not the typical 'phone in' interview with the same old boring list of prewritten questions. There is a need for that, but there is also a need for something different and fun. The Will and Thunder Show is unscripted and more like sitting at a bar and talking about the band with your buddies. Will and Thunder are both veterans of music scenes, with years experience in Florida, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. We both love rock and metal, and want to see the music scene go back to what it was across the country in the 80's and early 90's, where it was not uncommon to see the local opening act for a national band blow the national band off the stage because of such a diehard following for the local talent. So, while we are a talk show, we want it to be entertaining for our guests, listeners, and of course, us. Our goal is to become a national talk show that focuses primarily on the unsigned and newly signed bands. The majority of people we have had on say that they had a blast, and would love to come back. Several have made second appearances.  

Here is our YouTube page with our show archive. 

The show starts at 10PM Eastern on Tuesday nights, and runs till midnight. The first half hour is called the 'Shenanigans Segment' where we open the show, and talk a little bit about the news, or whatever. Around 10:25, our guest usually calls in, and at 10:30, we will take a break, and play the first song that the guest sent. After the song, we bring the guest in. The next song gets played 30-45 minutes later, and the last song gets played towards the end or at the end of the show. HOWEVER, it is completely up to the guest how long they would like to be on. All we ask is that the guests let us know how long they plan on being on before the show so we know how to plan it.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN or

Call the show at (646) 716-6135. Click the link to listen and chat, or call in. If you just want to listen, simply call, and don't press 1, and you will be able to listen without going into call cue.

You can listen on the phone, and if you want to talk, just press 1. However, it sounds better listening from the computer.
To call in, or to listen on the phone, dial (646) 716-6135. Press 1 to talk to us, or to listen, don't press anything.

The show archive can also be found here: YOUTUBE  There, you'll find shows as well as other vids done by me.

Scheduled guests: The call in number is 646-716-6135. Press one to join the cue. I will make a Facebook event page for the show like this one.  We use that to advertise the show, and you can too. You will have access to that and the show link after the show is over. You can use it for whatever you might need it for in the future. Basically, it doesn't go away after the show is over.

If you are in an unsigned band, and would like your music to be reviewed by William Telltale, and/or you would like to be a guest on the Will and Thunder Show,  Email a brief press kit containing 2 or 3 MP3s and a bio to willtelltale@gmail.com Please say if you want to be on the show, reviewed, or both.

Follow us on Twitter.  @williamtelltale

For info on advertising on the blog or show, email willtelltale@gmail.com

Riding to Thunder Bay With Mr. Potato Head

This is a trip down memory lane for me. When I was in my late teens to early 20's, I lived in Merritt Island, FL. (Its near Cocoa Beach) There was an amazing local music scene all over Central Florida from Cocoa Beach to Orlando to the speed metal scene in Tampa. This was a great time to be alive.

There were many bands that I loved seeing, from AWOL to Modern Man to Hard Knox. Most of the bands also got to open for touring national acts because of the huge crowds that the local bands drew on their own. On occasion, the national act would get booed off the stage in favor of the local opening act. I was in several bands back in the day, and I even got to open for several national acts.

However, there were 2 bands who set the standard of what was expected from a local act, and all other bands aspired to achieve their success on a local level on the way to getting signed themselves. They were Dead Serios of Melbourne FL and Stranger of Tampa.

It didn't matter where these bands played, or who they played with. The place was always packed with enthusiastic fans. Personally, I saw Dead Serios over 50 times, and Stranger at least 15 times. Seeing them never got old because it was always a blast, and every time you saw them seemed like the first time. Their shows were the biggest party in town. These bands were experts at ruling a crowd and the music was always great too. I don't remember seeing a bad performance from either of them.

We'll start with Dead Serios because I was and still am friends with the guys. The band was a punk metal comedy act. The band consisted of Dead Lee Serios (Christopher Long) on lead vocals and lawnmower, Doug Gibson on lead guiar, Phil Billingsley on rhythm guitar, Joe Del Corvo on bass, and Bill Irwin on drums and vocals.

Doug Gibson

You never saw a better show than this. High intensity rock, with the greatest frontman ever to walk the earth. Songs like 'No More Pipe For Potato Head' featured a 3 foot tall Mr. Potato Head that shot pyrotechnics out of the pipe. The band always delivered, and they always seemed at the top of their game. There was a time when it seemed like a given that this band would be signed, and huge. I don't know a single person who ever saw them in concert and didn't love them for life. Unfortunately, the record deal never came, but grunge did, and that's when all the good music went by the wayside. But the good news is that the band does reunion shows from time to time! The live links I posted are from a reunion show a couple years ago. 'Lawn Care Studs' that featured Dead Lee leading a mosh pit circle swinging a toy lawnmower, then smashing it onstage like Pete Townsend with a Fender Telecaster. I remember one show where one of the fans snuck out the back door during that song, grabbed the club's REAL lawnmower, fired it up, and got in line before Dead Lee with the real mower going full blast. Fun times indeed. Their set lists would always consist of crowd favorites like these, and other songs like 'Rosemary's Baby was Framed, Who's on Oprah, Psycho Dyke, Buster's Got A Booger, Butterbean Queen, and Peanuts are Evil. The ending of their shows was every bit as electric as the show itself, and lasted as long as a song. They would introduce the band, along with sound words of wisdom like "Brush after every meal! Smell the cheese before you eat it!" Dead Lee would then call for quiet, and tell the crowd that no matter where they went on the highways and biways of life, they should always remember....."MOTORHEAD RULES!" They would then finish off with their trademarked staple close "And Remember....WE'RE NOT JOKING!! WE'RE! DEAD! SERIOS!"

Dead Lee Serios and a
sacrificial lawnmower

Next up is Stranger! Pure bred "Florida Rock N Roll!" This band had the unmistakable vocals of Greg Billings, and the unique and powerful guitar sound of Ronnie Garvin, joined with a thunderous rhythm section consisting of Tom (King) Cardenas on bass and John Price on drums. Randy Holt was on keyboards.

The energy of a Stranger show was unmatched. You just wanted to grab a beer, raise it (when you weren't chugging it) and sing along with their unforgettable chouses in songs like Okeechobee Whiskey, Play Something Good (Something I can Dance To), and probably their most recognized chorus, 3D. And, their amazing guitar grooves in songs like Swamp Woman, Hit N Run, and the heartfelt ballads they offered like Clear Blue Morning, and many more.

When you left a Stranger show, you felt good. Seeing them was like a being at a football game where your team is just taking apart their opponent. It makes you feel like you're on top of the world. They would always interact with the audience, encouraging crowd participation, and the fans were more than happy to give it. And, like Dead Serios, it was not possible to see a Stranger show for the first time, and not leave a fan. They would open with the anthem, Bad Day, which instantly got you in the mood to forget about your day, and get the night started. Their shows were always 'a night to remember, after a 'day to forget.' From the first song on, you belonged to the band. All the way to their grand finale, Thunder Bay.

Ronnie Garvin

At a Stranger show, you couldn't help but notice Ronnie Garvin's old, beat up and ugly Fender Strat. It looked like it was held together with duct tape. So ugly, yet at the same time, the most beautiful guitar on the planet. He also had a unique style and sound like I mentioned before. Nobody could play like him, and nobody could play like Stranger.

The end of the road for them came on October 10, 1996 when the news came out that guitarist, Ronnie Garvin had been found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. This tragic event came to be known as 'The shot that broke Florida's heart.' That was it. It was over. And, many Floridians can tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. Me, I was on the way to the hospital in Melbourne to deliver my oldest daughter, and heard the news on the radio. That's how I am able to remember the exact date.

Greg Billings has a band that plays in the Tampa area called The Greg Billings Band, along with bassist Tom Cardenas. They play regularly across West Florida, and their set list includes Stranger songs.

These two bands were polar opposites in their styles, sound, and stage shows, and I don't remember them ever playing together. If they had, it would have been one of the most amazing shows of all time. Both bands dominated Florida during the same time, and they both loved to play, and loved their fans. Both bands put 120% into every show they played, and as a result, they were both adored by the fans.

But this isn't just one blogger's opinion. The proof is in the print. Jam Magazine, which was/is? a publication that everyone back then read. They had the 'Jammy Awards' where bands and musicians were nominated by the fans, and awards were handed out to the best. In 1991, Stranger won their highest honor as Entertainer of the Year. In 1992, Dead Serios won it, and Stranger presented the award to Dead Serios. I couldn't find a photo of that. If you have it, send it to me on my Facebook page, and I will add it to this post.

So, if you were fortunate enough to see these bands live, post some of your memories in the comments or on my FB page. Haven't heard of them? Click the links throughout this post and enjoy. I haven't seen a local music scene as good as Central Florida's in the late 80's to early 90's since, and I doubt I ever will.

You want to see another local music scene like that? Support Local Music! We didn't know how good we had it back then.

American Idol vs Paying Your Dues.

In this day and age of the internet, and instant gratification, we all expect the best of everything immediately. We want the best TV shows. We want the best music. We want the best sports team. We want the best blah blah blah.

But, what's being lost is the long and tedious road to becoming the best.

When I was a teenager, in 1990, I played guitar in a band. (I've been in a bunch of bands, but right now, we are talking about my first band.) A Christian band called 'Epidemic.' Strange name for a Christian band, but it worked for us. We were going to spread the Word of God like an epidemic. We all started out, only knowing a few chords, and we practiced in a garage 3 to 5 days a week. And, we were horrible. We played our first show, and we thought we were rock stars, but looking back, My GOD we sucked. There was a video tape of that show. I pray to God that it suffered the fate of so many other VHS tapes, and is sitting in a landfill, along with dirty diapers, beer cans, dead bodies, and 'New Kids on the Block' CDs.

But, we kept going. And little by little, we got better...and better. Our second, third, and fourth shows, we still sucked. But, by the tenth one, we were halfway decent...meaning that a good musician could sit through our set and see potential, rather than wanting to stab himself in both ears with a screwdriver.

In 1991, Epidemic played a 500 seat theater, and sold it out. It was a show that we put on ourselves. We rented out the venue, and promoted it. After we paid the venue, sound guy, etc, we broke even. And, we were pumped about doing that!

Epidemic lasted 2 years. After that show, we decided to go into clubs, and the band died about 6 months later, and was gone. Each member joined or formed other bands and the rest is history.

Now, fast forward to 2013. We are going to go back to my history soon, I promise.

With TV shows like American Idol, The Voice, etc, all of the buildup and appreciation is gone. Now, you have a kid who can sing like a gifted angel, but he/she wants to go on American Idol, and bypass the learning process. And, 9 times out of 10, we never hear from these kids again once some idiot on a panel of judges tells them to stuff it. 

Now, we are going back to my past. I was 19 or 20, and I was starting a band. We wanted to be a 5 piece with myself and another guitarist, along with a singer, bassist and drummer. We couldn't find a singer, so because of the fact that I had sang backup vocals in Epidemic, and in the band that I was in after that, I felt I had a pretty decent voice. The new band agreed, and we decided that I would sing. I struggled, and learned the words. It was hard to sing and play guitar at the same time, but I managed...in practice. 

The band got booked for our first show, and I was nervous. But, I wasn't worried, and neither were the other band members.

We should have been.

Because of the fact that I had been a guitar player/ backup singer for every single show I had played up to that point, I took the stage, thinking that I would be fine singing lead vocals. The first song had a dual guitar part which I nailed. But, when it came time for me to sing, I did nothing. I was playing the guitar part, and expecting to hear the lead vocals. But I didn't hear them! I actually remember thinking "SHIT! I've gotta sing!" I missed the first two lines of the song before coming in, and it went downhill from there. Worst show that I've ever done in my life. And to top it off, my mom and stepfather were at that show. My dad was there too, videotaping it. I KNOW that video tape is in a landfill. I put it there myself. But what made it worse was that my stepfather is an accomplished musician and singer. He told me "I could tell you were having a bad night." Which translated meant "YOU SUCKED!!!!" 

The band didn't suck. I sucked.

We are going to fast forward to 2013 again. What if American Idol or any of the other singing reality shows had existed back then? If I had been singing in front of Simon, and he told me that I sucked, what would I have done (in today's mindset?)

I would have sulked off and never done anything again, which is what most of these American Idol rejects do.

REWIND!

After the failure of my first attempt at being a lead singer, I was determined to get it right. That band broke up right after that show, but I started going to karaoke bars. At home, I started building my vocal range, and working with singing and playing guitar at the same time. I won several karaoke contests, singing high stuff like Queen, Styx, and Meatloaf. 

The next band I would be in of any relevance was several years later. I had not only learned how to be a singer, I had also learned how to sing heavy metal with a high voice, yet with an aggressiveness. While other singers of the period were screaming like they had a hammer shoved down their throats, I was singing. I started a band with a pair of guitarists from a recently disbanded local legend. I was the lead singer ONLY. This band quickly gained a following, but deep down, I wasn't happy just being the lead singer. I wanted to play guitar as well.

This band played several shows, but we had a problem with one of the guitarists. He didn't show up to practices and missed the learning of a new song. He assured us that he knew the song after one practice, right before a show the next night. 

He didn't. And what happened when we played the show was our own 'Spinal Tap' moment. During the song, he lost his place, and got lost in the song. He took off his guitar, threw it down, and walked off stage. We finished the show as a 4 piece, and we stayed a 4 piece, but I was finally what I wanted to be...A singer/guitarist. 

This lineup lasted about a year, but gathered one hell of a following. Sadly, internal problems caused its breakup.

I moved to Tennessee, where I put together a clone of the previous band. I also continued to work on my voice. The musicians were as good, except for the drummer, and we quickly gained a following. But, it also didn't last very long because I was insisting on it being a clone band. My bad, I admit. But, during that time, I recorded some original songs both with the band and on my own. This was around 2002, and my voice had never been better up to that point. But, I left Tennessee a year after that.

Fast forward: 2003

I was in a karaoke bar in South Carolina where I had moved to. I sang some 80's metal power ballads. The karaoke host was a local guitar hero. I knew who he was. After hearing me sing, he asked me to audition for his 80's metal tribute band. I did, and was chosen to be the singer. Once again, I was singing with no guitar. No problem. Our first show together was opening for Jani Lane of Warrant and Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot. I ruled that crowd. One of the songs we did was 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' by The Darkness. That song had just came out at the time, and I nailed it. Little did I know at the time that Jani Lane was in the club, and heard me sing. I got to meet him after their set. He actually told me that it had been years since he heard a local guy scream like that. He also told me that he didn't have the balls to do 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' and gave me major props.

I did one more show with that band, and quit. I wasn't  into doing covers, apparently.

Fast forward again to 2013. 

I settled down, and never played again (to date) and I've lost alot of my vocal range. But, I miss it. I have been going to karaoke bars again to try to get the range back. I want to be in a band again, but I won't do it until I can get back to singing strongly. Its a long process, but I have patience.

Do you think for one minute that any of these people on these singing shows would have the perseverance and drive to carry out what I did? Many other musicians have done the same. Being in music isn't about instant gratification. Its about hard and reward-less work until you deserve the reward.

These kids on these singing reality shows not only don't deserve the reward, they jumped past the process to earning the reward.

The reward is not the record deal. The reward is seeing your hard work pay off. These kids on the singing shows get to sing songs written by record company executives. They will never know how orgasmic it is to see and hear a crowd singing an original song that they wrote, after rising through the trenches and the ranks, fighting for and earning recognition.

Am I old school? Maybe, but I would much rather impose MY will and my music on people than for some corporate record executive to tell me to go away on national television. 

The day the music died was the day that people could audition to be the next American Idol. 

Growing as a musician is the only way to save music as it was when it was good, and not just a meat grinder of mindless corporate junk that all sounds the same.