Hey Abbott!

My good pal Scott Essman over at Universal Studios posted this fantastic Abbott and Costello animation on Youtube. Scott spearheaded this creation, writing, directing and producing it.

Scott is my choice for Monsterkid of the Year in the Rondo Awards - Scott has consistently pushed the classic monster genre year after year, both in his job there at Universal as well as his personal pet projects, such as this. Check it out, and take a look at some of Scott's other videos on youtube and you'll understand why he's my choice for Monster Kid of the Year!

2008 Horror Hootenanny 5 pics

Big round of applause to Ray and Wendy for posting pics of the Horror Hootenenny South - it took place at The Pond in Franklin. Thanks to everyone who came out to see a kick ass show - Dave and the Country Rebels, The Creeping Cruds, Psychocharger and the Coffin Burys - fun stuff!!




See all the pics HERE:
http://raywen.org/concert/hoot102508/








Tanya Roid, in Wolf Costume!



















Psychocharger hits the stage!














The Coffin Burys in action

100th post - Woo Hoo!!

This is the 100th post here on the Gangrene blog!

Way cool - I've been very sporadic with this thing, the first post being way back on 10-26-06. But the way I see it is it's here for me when I feel in the mood or have time to write about stuff.

With Halloween over things have slowed down a bit, so I feel a bit more energy for some side activities. Speaking of which...

There are pictures up from the Horror Hootenanny now at:

http://raywen.org/concert/hoot101808/index.html

The Exotic ones rockin THE BASEMENT

Some of the costumes at the Hootenanny

Ray and Wendy, regulars at the Hootenanny shows, as well as many other events around town, took these and posted them online. This was the first Horror Hootenanny this year, October 18th 2008 at The Basement - and featured The Exotic Ones, The Creeping Cruds, The Coffin Burys and Daikaiju.

Rockin' with the Creeping Cruds

Unfortunately Ray had to leave before Daikaiju or the Coffin Burys came on, but he took some terrific shots of the Cruds and the Exotic Ones. Thanks Ray, and thanks to everyone who came out!!

I'm hooked!

I've watched every episode of the new HBO series True Blood that has aired so far, and I have to say I am hooked. It is a really clever series that stars Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who gets caught up in a love affair with a vampire named Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer. The series is based on a series of books called The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris .

It is a fresh take on the vampire mythos, and has featured several twists and turns I didn't see coming. I love the flashbacks to the past history of vampire Bill, especially the Civil War flashbacks. This series is spearheaded by Alan Ball, the guy who brought us Six Feet Under. It feels kind of like a cross between that show and Carnivale, with a hint of cajun Louisiana undead spice thrown in for good measure.


My only regret - we're already on episode 9 of the first season of 12. It'll be over soon and we'll have to wait till next year for more new episodes!!

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD

Got the post-Halloween blues?

Then Midnight Syndicate's newest release, The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates, is just the thing to help you keep it Halloween all year long!


The folks at Midnight Syndicate have been quite busy - in addition to their haunted soundtrack work, they have also been involved creating a motion picture, The Dead Matter. Co-written and directed by Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate, the film is scheduled for a 2009 release.

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD includes several tracks from the upcoming soundtrack and is some of the best work Midnight Syndicate has done to date. It is done in the dark orchestral style Midnight Syndicate has become known for and is highly recommended - this is one CD Halloween lovers must have!

Here's the track listing:

1. Cathedral Ruins
2. Shadowed Grove
3. Meeting of the Acolytes
4. The Revenants
5. Called From Beyond
6. Nightfall
7. The Hunt
8. Across the Chasm
9. Cemetery Gates
10. Entering the Crypt
11. Alchemists's Chamber
12. Tear of Osiris
13. Forging the Scarab
14. Shadows Descend 1
5. Inside the Scarab
16. Exodus
17. Dark Legacy
18. Lullaby
BONUS TRACKS
19. Lost
20. Not Your Saviour
21. Theme to "The Dead Matter" (A.B.T. Remix)

To find out more about this film and listen to some of these tracks, go to:
The Dead Matter website - www.TheDeadMatter.com

Here is the teaser trailer for the film:

Happy Post Halloween

Hope you all had a fun and fright filled Halloween - I know I did! I made many appearances and hosted several live events - among these was a radio appearance I did at Jack FM 96.3 - They asked me to come in and be their ORDINARY LISTENER OF THE WEEK, where I basically read all the events for the week of Halloween. The station put together a little tape of the bloopers from that day. Here it is below - enjoy my screwups!

Treat yourself this Halloween!

Every Halloween I take some time to enjoy reading a good book to enjoy the season. Last year I read the Marvel Comics Essentials Dracula series - these collect the DRACULA comics from the 1970s by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, which is one of my favorite comic book series of all time. I have vol. 1-3 of the essentials, which complete the entire run of the initial series.


The year before last I re-read Death Makes a Holiday by David J. Skal, who is one of my favorite writers. This book is a fantastic history of Halloween, and traces it's roots back centuries. This is a really interesting and fun read, and I may have to pull it out again soon to reread again.


THIS year I am continuing the vampire motif from last year, and reading DRACULA by Bram Stoker. Not many books are better Halloween reading material to get you in the spirit of the holiday than Dracula. Makes you realize why so many different version of this story have been filmed, as the original is so powerful and entertaining, even 110 years after it was written!


So treat YOURSELF this Halloween season by picking up some spooky reading material. Doctor's orders!!