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Event
LyonPride Music Presents MADLIFE Aug 28th @ BackStage
MADLIFE: on tour now with KORN, Five Finger Death Punch & All That Remains.
BIO:
The little tiny voices in your head can be a handful. Madlife front man Angry Phill can attest to thatthey bombard him with insecurity, frustration and unbridled animal rage. But the voices also told him how to position his band on the cusp of future stardom: release all that blistering, bone-raw emotion to the tune of unforgettable hooks. The catharsis manifests on Madlife's long-awaited first full-length, Angry Sonnets for the Soul, will be released this spring on Universal/Fontana.
The jigsaw wouldn't have snapped into place if two diametrically opposed schools of thought hadn't learned to compromise. In 2004, Toronto expat Phill answered a Music Connection ad posted by Isaiah, guitarist of L.A. rock outfit Merge. Despite very different sonic preferences, the two bonded over Linkin Park, who were rehearsing in the same building as Isaiah's studio.
"That was our jump-off point," Phill recalls. "My background is Ministry, Front 242,KMFDMI lean toward heavy stuff. Isaiah leans toward stuff that's a little more poppy, so LinkinPark was our common ground."
Phill stepped outside of his insular industrial comfort zone and began doing his homework on conventional song structures. He studied the Police, the Beatles and Michael Jackson, finding common threads among pop arrangements he had never noticed before. The goal was clear for the launch of Madlife: integrate the volatile, aggressive elements of what he listened to into the mainstream.
Despite multiple personnel changes, Madlife delivered cult favorite EPs in the form of2004's Madlife andunderstatement of the century2005's Music as Harsh as the World We Live In (both produced by Dexys Midnight Runners drummer Stoker). The lineup finally solidified with the addition of bassist Jimmy Minj, a walking '80s pop encyclopedia, and drummer Kyle, a laid-back Texan who could administer the necessary hip-hop bounce to Madlife's ever-evolving hybrids.
Phill elaborates: "If you start to deconstruct all the little bits, you'll hear Formula 1engines, horses neighing, hammers, chains, pianos crashingwhatever sounds I can imagine are what I throw in there. And Isaiah, Jimmy and Kyle bring in the hard rock edge. They try to bring it back to the center."
The results are potent on Angry Sonnets for the Soul, produced by Powerman 5000guitarist Evan 9. From the staccato synth-hop assault of "Little Ray of Sunshine" to the fist-pumping overload of cautionary tale "Be Tomorrow," Madlife integrate a dizzying array of influences and inspirations across the rock spectrum. And ranting above it all is Phill, uncompromising in his brutal honesty. "On Angry Sonnets for the Soul, all the songs reflect the angry soul I am," he says. "Wealways write the music first. Once we finish, the songs talk to me. The guys have to leave the room. They know when I'm in the zone. Thank god that I have this outlet, because I'd probably go crazy if I didn't."
Intensity notwithstanding, Madlife are always up for a good time. They've played everywhere from backyard birthday parties to 2009's Rockstar Mayhem tour, and war stories are in boundless supply, from the constant renovation of their "silver bullet" tour coach (which they once flooded with 22 gallons of water in 10 degree Oklahoma chill) to the time in Shreveport when Jimmy drunkenly staggered up to a Burger King drive thruin cowboy hat and fishnetstrying to procure late-night chicken nuggets.
"That's the kind of shit that happens with us," Phill laughs. "It's good times, and nobody's getting fucked up on meth or crack or anything. You get drunk and you want chicken nuggets"
Angry Phill: vocals
Isaiah: guitar
Jimmy Minj: bass
Kylio: drums
Madlife's debut single 'Be Tomorrow' will be released February 1st, and the full album Angry Sonnets for the Soul at the end of March.
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LocationBackStage BSBG's
6409 6th Ave
Tacoma, WA 98406
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 21 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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