Pheaturing John Allen From Charm City Devils

PHIRST OF

Hello, welcome to the Peverett Phile, proud sponsor of TACAnow.org and generationrescue.org. Austism is reversible. I am your host, the Half-Assed Prince. As you can see I am not dead. I was up at 3:30 this morning, out the house by 4:00 and the balloon people called and told me there was a storm on the way, so we couldn't fly so I have to rebook it. Damn Florida weather. Grrrr. The death of Michael Jackson continues to be at the top of the news. He meant a lot to a lot of people. I mean, Sarah Palin quit her job because of it. Now Sarah Palin and her husband are holed up in their igloo listening to “I Can’t Stop Loving You” over and over again. Both his sister, Latoya Jackson, and his father, Joe Jackson, think Michael was murdered. At the top of their list of suspects? Joe and Latoya Jackson. There are all sorts of crazy rumors going around about Michael Jackson. One of them is that his brain is someplace other than with the rest of his body. I don’t know who has it, but I do find it a little suspicious that Donald Trump is suddenly able to moonwalk. California has no money. The budget situation is a mess. So a state representative introduced a bill to legalize marijuana and he claims it will raise almost a billion and a half dollars a year in taxes. And another $3 billion in Cheetos sales. They have a campaign: “Marijuana — the Weed That Works.” Snoop Dogg alone could balance the budget. Newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been ratcheting up the anti-U.S. rhetoric lately. Yesterday he said, “Iran will strike you in the face so hard, you will lose your way home.” Which really sounds like a line from “The Bernie Mac Show.” Bill Gates is busy trying to save the world. He’s working on a plan to fight and destroy hurricanes. Gates and some scientists have filed for a patent that would reduce the intensity of hurricanes. This is why you shouldn’t take on nerds in high school. One day you’re giving them wedgies, the next day they’re harnessing the power of hurricanes. The plan includes a plane dropping the Windows operating system Vista into the eye of the hurricane, which would cause the hurricane to freeze and then crash unexpectedly. So, with the economy in the shitter, a lot of companies are changing their logos and even heir names. So, here at the Phile, I want to educate you on the changes. Best Buy made a very begging plea with their new logo and new name.

I was at a store the other day and was happy to see there was a sale. Of course, I suck at math.

See what I mean?

Phact 1: There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S that there are real ones.
Phact 2: The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood Plasma.
Phact 3: Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your ass)
Phact 4: Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
Phact 5: It is possible to lead a cow upstairs... but, not downstairs.

1923
While driving his 1919 Dodge, retired revolutionary Pancho Villa is ambushed and assassinated. But even with 16 gunshot wounds he still manages to kill one of his attackers. Curiously, Villa's head is stolen from his grave three years later and never recovered. Despite persistent rumors, Yale's secret society Skull and Bones denies they possess the artifact.
1944
In an attempt on Hitler's life, a timebomb explodes in the situation room of the Wolf's Lair, killing four Nazi officers but only wounding the Fuhrer. After his close call, Hitler becomes even more paranoid. A massive purge is to follow, resulting in the execution of thousands of officers.
1951
In Jerusalem at the al-Aqsa Mosque, King Abdullah of Jordan is shot three times in the head and chest by Mustapha Shukri Usho, a Palestinian opposed to peace with Israel. Abdullah dies on the spot.
1969
On live television, the world watches as Neil Armstrong steps foot on the Moon. That is, unless it was faked.
1973
In Hong Kong, martial artist Bruce Lee drops into a coma and dies of cerebral edema. He had been experiencing brain problems beginning in May, which included sporadic loss of consciousness. Lee's death transpires shortly before the release of Enter the Dragon, his most successful film.
1994
O.J. Simpson offers a $500,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the Real Killers. To this day progress remains elusive, although Simpson's golf score has improved somewhat.
2005
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) changes the rating of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" from mature to adults only forcing a recall. The game had been distributed with a hidden sex game made unlockable by a clever hacker's modification titled Hot Coffee. The recall cost Rockstar Games millions of dollars although the incident generated lots of free publicity. By the way, buy that game... "Slow Ride" is in it.

Today's guest is the lead singer from Charm City Devils, a rock band from Baltimore, Maryland. The band will be part of Crue Fest 2 and have recently released their first radio single, "Let's Rock-N-Roll (Endless Road)". They will be performing tomorrow at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Please welcome to the Phile... John Allen.

Me: Hello, John, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

John: I am great!

Me: Before I get started, are you the same John Allen who used to play drums for SR-17?

John: Yep but back then we used to call ourselves SR-71!

Me: You guys had the original version of "1985" before Bowling For Soup recorded it, right?

John: Well, yeah. We released it in Japan on our "Here We Go Again" CD in May and they released it later that summer.

Me: Do you know BFS?

John: Yeah, great guys - they drink A LOT of beer!

Me: What made you come out from behind the drum set in a popular band and become a singer in another band?

John: SR-71 had run it's course and I was demoing songs and I thought to myself that I was on to something. I was writing songs closer to my roots, which is blues based rock with a little punk thrown in.

Me: Is SR-71 still together and do you still play drums for them?

John: We aren't really together but we just played in early Dec. for a Benefit Concert for Special Olympics here in Baltimore.

Me: You also were a singer in a band called Four Acres before Charm City Devils. I have that CD downloaded from iTunes and I think it rocks. How is Four Acres and CCD different?

John: They aren't, it's basically the same band. We just changed our name.

Me: Who is in Charm City Devils, and where did that name come from?

John: John, Nick, Anthony. Jason and Vic. We were looking for a name that would tell something about where we are from and Charm City is one of Baltimore's nicknames. I have no idea where it comes from. But, Nikki is the one who really put it together and came up with the name.

Me: Who are your influences, and the other band members?

John: Mine are rooted in Blues like Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon. I love Humble Pie, Zep, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Guns N Roses, ZZ top, The Cult, etc...

Me: Okay, this is fucking cool... you are on Eleven Seven Music, right? Tell the readers of the Phile who is the President of the label.

John: I alluded to it before - Nikki Sixx is the president of our label.

Me: How is Nikki Sixx? You guys must of been babies when Motley Crue first became big.

John: I remember being a kid and seeing the "Dr. Feelgood" tour! It was the most incredible show I had ever seen. But, last year's CRUEFEST rivaled it!

Me: So, think you can get Nikki to do a Peverett Phile interview, eh?

John: I don't know, he's very busy!

Me: Who else is on your label? I am guessing Nikki's band and Tommy's band, and Crue themselves.

John: Yeah, SIXX A.M., Motley Crue, Drowning Pool, Buckcherry, The Exies and Trapt.

Me: The band is from Baltimore, where I have some friends that live there, and I heard that Baltimore has a very lively local music scene. Are there a lot of rock bands like you guys there, or more rap acts?

John: There are a lot of bands but not like us... There is a huge alternative scene downtown with the art students that SPIN and Rolling Stone have featured and I think there is a good hardcore scene as well. I'm not sure about Rap but I think it may be strong as well.

Me: So, if you're from Baltimore, you must love crab, right? Wasn't "The Wire" filmed there?

John: Yes and Yes.

Me: By the way, congratulations on being voted Number One Band in Baltimore. Who voted for you, and how did that make the band feel?

John: I'm not sure who voted but the guy who writes for the mag that named us #1 is a huge fan and saw a few recent shows.

Me: You have a new single out. What can you tell me about it, and the new album?

John: The first single is called "Let's Rock N Roll (Endless Road)". It's a song about never giving in or giving up - endless road... The record is pretty honest on a lyrical level. True stories about me or my beliefs and my loved ones or hated ones! It runs an em otional gamut - I think. Musically, most of it is high energy stuff but there is balance.

Me: Are you guys going on a national tour? You gotta come to Orlando if you do.

John: I hope to make it to Orlando when we do our tour! I played downtown on the streets with Trust Company one year for a Xmas show the radio station down put on and it was a BLAST.

Me: Finally, is there anything you would like to plug, like a website? And if you could tell the readers of the Phile one thing, what would it be?

John: Yeah, please check out www.myspace.com/charmcitydevils we have music and our video up for "Let's Rock N Roll". If you have a chance call or email Sirius Octane and Squizz at XM and request us! Cheers.

Me: Thanks again for taking part, John, I wish you luck, and tell Nikki I said hi and I want to interview him. ; )

John: I will and thank you.

PHINALLY

Thanks to John for a cool interview and to Wikipedia as well. Check out Charm City Devils on iTunes and Facebook and Myspace and on the road. The Phile will be back on Friday with singer Helen McCookerybook. Yes, that's her name. So, until then, spread the word, and not the turd. Thanks for reading.