No “coupon code” needed.  Everything will be reduced 20% in the webstore!  Have a great Thanksgiving and an even better Thanksgiving Eve!  We may just do this sale a bit earlier, follow us on twitter @OnlyOnes to find out.

I recently did an interview for Latency Magazine with Jorge, vocalist for Doomsday Mourning.  I was more than happy to interview Jorge because I’m a fan of Doomsday Mourning myself and have booked them for a few shows we’ve done in the past.  I think they are doing something different and that’s refreshing when, in my opinion, the hardcore/metal scene is becoming homogenized.  So fuck the “shark biters” and the “swagger jackers”, if you will, this is Doomsday Mourning.

Rob:  Jorge, tell us a little bit about Doomsday Morning. How did it all begin and what are you guys up to lately?
Jorge:  DM started in late 2009 a few years after my old band broke up. My drummer & I decided to work on material he had written over the course of a few months. Right now, we are working on a new release and adding some shows to our schedule.

Rob:  I really enjoy “The Science of Exploitation”, it’s in my car stereo right now and I like to blast it really loud outside of elementary schools at 3:00 when parents are picking up their kids. When reading the lyrics for the EP, I think it’s pretty clear that there is a great resentment, disgust and anger throughout. Where does this anger come from? Are most of the songs based on your own life experiences? If not, what inspires the subject matter?
Jorge:  My anger comes from life. I’ve seen and experienced a multitude of setbacks and loss over time. DM is a way for me to channel that energy into something creative. I tend to draw from personal experience to write my lyrics but inspiration comes from everywhere: close friends, family, movies, books, other artists, etc.

Rob:  “The Science of Exploitation” is Doomsday Mourning’s debut release and it is an unrelenting assault from start to finish. What can we expect from your second EP “Culture of Corruption” and the full length “Predisposed”?
Jorge:  Our fans and friends expect a certain something from us and we don’t want to disappoint. You can expect that brutal onslaught we cultivated last time, but with more of a push forward. We can’t replicate the same things over and over again, so expect a few changes here and there. We always strive to keep it new and interesting without totally abandoning what got us attention in the first place.

Rob:  I think with the gaining popularity of any underground music scene there is a surge of copy-cat bands that inevitably emerge. Doomsday Mourning is a breathe of fresh air for me and I think for the genre as a whole. What do you personally think sets Doomsday apart from the countless bands in the scene? Also, is there a conscious effort to create something that is unique or does it happen organically when the band comes together?
Jorge:  I tend to not worry myself with what other bands are doing. DM gets together with a common goal, and that is to write music that we would want to play and listen to ourselves. We just keep it true to ourselves. I guess in that sense we differ from other bands that are struggling to find their own identities. We have a good understanding of our musical preferences and what we want to write, and I believe that shows in our songs.

Rob:  Many of the members of Doomsday have been a part of this scene for many years. I can only imagine all the changing trends that you have witnessed. How do you think it has affected how you guys collectively write your own music in Doomsday Mourning?
Jorge:  Being around that long has made us aware that quality and integrity tend to stand the test of time. We don’t get caught up in the ‘flavor of the week’ crap, we do what we like.

Rob:  From an outsiders perspective this style of music can be easily misunderstood as a catalyst for violence and aggression. As a fan of aggressive hardcore music for years, I personally understand that this music is a way to relieve that aggression, a therapy of sorts. You’ve been singing and participating in this scene for many years now…what does this music do for you personally and why are you creating this music versus any other? Also, what would you say to those that believe this music causes violence rather than working to relieve it?
Jorge:  I’ve just always been a fan of the energy and raw emotion that is encompassed within the genre(s). There is a sense of understanding, strength and power that keeps me motivated to write music in a heavy band. People get very passionate about the heavy bands they like. Sometimes that passion boils over into fights and disagreements and just like any other aspect of society, there are also dickheads that want to flex on kids and gang up on who they perceive as vulnerable. I don’t blame heavy music for assholes though, I just blame the assholes.

Rob:  I think most people over the age of 50 can’t wrap their heads around this music. It is simply too chaotic for them and I don’t think anything even remotely close to this existed in the 60′s or 70′s. It makes me wonder how much more aggressive this music might get. What trends do you see emerging and what bands do you see progressing the genre?
Jorge:  Music and entertainment tend to be so fickle that its hard for me to make a blanket statement or try to pin point exactly what the future holds for trends and the artists/ fans who follow those trends.

Rob:  In these current times, it seems harder than ever for a band to really make a living playing music since everybody often illegally downloads their music. On the other hand, it seems almost infinitely easier to get your music out there due to the internet. There’s an obvious double edged sword to how technology is affecting the music industry. How does it affect you personally and what do you do to try and work around it? What is your take on the internet, how do you use it to your advantage and what’s your opinion on illegally downloading music?
Jorge:  The internet has definitely made it easier to share art with the world, but with that being said, it is also easier to have it downloaded illegally and lose out on money that could have been yours. I don’t really mind the illegal downloading since the music eventually ends up in the hands of someone who appreciates it. There is no real way to get around it other than to play shows and be a working/ touring band. Labels and stores got way too greedy and the ‘consumers’ reacted accordingly. I aint no insecure Hollywood bitch, I didn’t get into this to make millions or to impress wanna be entertainers. So the fact that music doesn’t pay all the bills right now is a reality I’m cool with.

Rob:  Where do you see Doomsday Mourning in 2012?
Jorge:  Hopefully back on the radio and back on the road.

Rob:  “The Science of Exploitation” sounds amazing and it was all self recorded, will you be going the same route for “Culture of Corruption” and the full length “Predisposed”? It’s evident that you are creating some solid stuff all on your own but is there a big interest for you guys personally to get on a label?
Jorge:  We come from a very DIY mindset, so self releasing and self producing our art is something we take pride in. And yes, we will be going the same route for our upcoming releases. I don’t need any fucking validation from a label, a bitchy girlfriend, hipsters, genre purists or a motherfucking website, so no, I don’t really care all that much about getting on a crappy contract where some asshole owns our music. Fuck outta here with ya ass backwards loan. We’ll jump into something if it seems right for us and that’s that.

Rob:  I’ve noticed you are also a big fan of hip hop, is there any way that you see that crossing over into Doomsday Mourning somehow? I’ve noticed on “Science” that there are many tracks featuring guest vocalists from other bands which reminds me of hip hop albums that feature many different guest rappers.
Jorge:  Hip hop has always been a huge part of my life and I believe that can be heard in our musical and lyrical content. A crossover situation is always possible, so keep ya ears open.

Rob:  There are so many bands out there and so many kids trying to do what you guys have been doing for years. What advice would you give to kids starting up their own bands?
Jorge:  My only advice is, work hard and have some fucking fun!!!

Rob:  Jorge, thanks so much for the interview. I’m a big fan of what you guys are doing and I look forward to the new stuff! Any final words for the readers?
Jorge:  Thanks to all friends, supporters and the bitch made haters, you guys make it all worth while.

The Science of Exploitation is available on iTunes right now.

The year is 2161 and Justin Timberlake, from the boy band NSYNC, is now living in a society where people don’t age past 25.  In an effort to enforce population control, the new form of currency is time.  When you run out of time, you die!  So people have to bust their sorry asses working in shit hole factories just so they can live to work another day.  Essentially there’s not much difference between that world and our reality here in 2012, cept we all get old, wrinkly and ugly.  Yuck!

So Justin Timberlake meets this rich dude that has a centuries worth of time.  Now considering that JT lives in the hood and most people are as happy as a pig shit with a just one days worth of time, well…let’s just say that having a century makes this dude a baus (boss to the layman).

So, JT saves this rich dudes life from these gang dudes and he’s all like “hey dude, that was cool that you did that shit for me cause if you didn’t I’d be like all dead and shit”.  He then let’s JT drink from his flask and JT does but he can’t handle the sauce and is all like “damn, homie.  Da fuck is that, liquid fire?”. And the dude is all like “shut up and drink it, you pussy ass ho!”. So JT does and they talk about how this whole time system is bullshit and how the rich have so much time and the poor have none and it just ain’t fair.

In the morning, the dude wakes up and gives all his time to Justin Timberlake because he’s already lived over a hundred years.  Anyone that lived over a hundred years would realize that this whole life thing can get pretty BORING, so he let’s the final minutes of his clock run out.  JT wakes up and he realizes all the time he has and is inspired to use his time to rage against the machine, if you will.

Anyway, JT turns into a totally new guy with all these new skill sets out of nowhere.  It makes no freakin sense whatsofuckingever!  For example, this fool goes to the rich neighborhood where everyone is mad slow cause they got all the time in the world.  They drive fancy cars, eat good and wear nice clothes…ahem, the 1%.  He goes to the casino there and plays poker with this dude that just so happens to be the owner of the largest time bank in the land and just so happens to be older than 100!

What’s weird is he plays poker like a world champion.  It’s the first hand of the game and he’s going all in with 30 seconds left to live…and he wins!  How does a dude in his late 20′s, who lived in the slums his whole life, beat a guy who is older than 100 and spends his free time playing poker in fancy casinos.  And let’s just say for arguments sake that JT was that good.  It’s like okay, why weren’t you playing poker all along, you dumb fuck?!  Your poor mother died because ya’ll didn’t have no goddamn time but I guess you didn’t think about that you selfish prick.  I guess you didn’t care about mother, you were too busy chasing pussy and hanging out at shit hole bars in the ghetto.  Damn, JT you were so wholesome in NSYNC.  You fell off.

If that’s not weird enough, JT is also a master at many other things.  A dude from the slums, that probably never drove a fast car in his life, all of a sudden can out drive anyone.  He even out drives the timekeepers (they are essentially the cops of this society).  Maybe I’m missing something here?  Does just having time make you badass at everything possible?!

I mean, I know its a movie but where is the fucking logic, man!  One second he is just a mild mannered Justin Timberlake and then the next he is John McClane.  I mean seriously, he can disarm multiple men and then beat the ever loving shit out of all of them.  JT will be sitting at a desk with two men pointing guns at his big stupid ass head and he’ll get out of it unscathed.

You ever watch a movie and just think to yourself or even scream out loud, “Cmon!  That would never happen!”. Well this movie is just an endless string of those fucking moments.  JT drives his car through walls, no problem!  The cars tires blow out and the vehicle goes careening off the road flipping multiple times into a ditch, no problem!  JT and his lady friend just take a little nap and they are fine!  JT is in a life or death arm wrestling match with a ganglord while four men are ready to kill JT even if he wins!  You guessed it, no problem!  JT is a veritable mind reading, ass beating, race car driving psychopath and there’s no rhyme or reason why.

Even his lady friend brings up the point in mid car chase.  She asks him something like, “Do you even know how to drive?”  To which he answers “What’s not to know?”. What the fuck does that even mean?!  God damn you, Justin Timberlake.  This isn’t fair you fucking prick!  You got it all, you’re making the rest of us look like fucking peons.  No girls are gonna wanna fuck any of us after they see you in this awful piece of shit film.  You self serving prick!

There were once heroes that trained and studied to become who they are.  They honed their skills, there was a reason why they were badass.  Indiana Jones studied archeology for years, since he was a young boy.  He spent his life exploring ancient temples riddled with intricate booby traps.  Bruce Lee spent his whole life learning and practicing his martial arts technique.  He is revered and remembered throughout the world as one of the best martial artists ever.  John McClane spent years in the NYPD going up against german douche-bag terrorists.  He even learned how to do it all with a hangover that gave him a really bad headache.  We remember him and his service to our great city and for saving the poor hostages in Nakatomi Plaza in California.  But then there’s Justin fucking Timberlake who, for no goddamn reason at all, is great at everything he does.

Go eat a dick, Justin Timberlake!  And ey yo, Amanda Seyfried ima tweet you mah number.  Holla at cha boy. K?

About three weeks ago, we were sitting around watching videos on youtube.  We came across THIS VIDEO…go ahead click it.  Yea, that’s some pretty weird shit, huh?  But I saw it before and I said “Fuck this shit, let’s look up whoever is doing that song in the background” and we came across this gem by Gerry Phillips.  We were hooked and we watched video after video!

I don’t know what got us so drawn to his videos!  Maybe it’s how amazing it was to see a man cover over 150 songs with just his two hands and some air in between them, the sheer ability to get every note down and nail every solo was impressive.  Maybe it was the hilarity of it all.  Or maybe it was how he played with the slightest grin, which made him look so content and happy at performing his amazing talent.  Nevertheless, we had to interview him and so we did.  I tracked him down, called him up and he agreed to do a little interview for us.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gerry Phillips.  Believe in him.

Rob:  Gerry, introduce yourself and tell us exactly how you discovered your amazing talent.
Gerry:  I was 9 years old at a party when the photographer made a noise with his hands and told us kids to go away and try to do it. (to shut us up!) When I got home I was messing around and realized I could get notes and started to play simple songs.  Now I can play anything. I thought I invented it until 5 years later when I saw John Twomey on The Tonight Show play Stars and Stripes Forever.

Rob:  Your obviously most well known for your youtube videos that have gotten over 22 million views but what do you do for a living?  What’s the everyday life of Gerry Phillips like?
Gerry:  I own a gun shop. That is where the gunecologist name (his youtube username) comes from.

Rob:  What do your friends and family think about your talent?
Gerry:  Everybody loves it. I don’t know anyone who isn’t completely amazed that I can do what I do.

Rob: I know if I was driving in my car with you I’d want you to play along to the tunes on the radio.  Do you get requests all the time from people and does it ever get to be annoying?  Are you ever recognized in public and asked to do a tune?
Gerry:  I am recognized and I will play any song anyone wants.

Rob: I’ve also noticed that you haven’t posted any videos in about a year.  Any reason for the lull in new manualist covers?  Also, how do you choose what songs you cover?
Gerry:  Most songs are repetitive and boring. When I find a song that is technically hard to play and has great lead solo or I just have too many people requesting it, only then will I do it.  I feel I have done just about everything I set out to play. I always thought that when I could play The Green Hornet Theme or the full Fur Elise that I would be as good as I could get. That is why I haven’t made any new videos lately. Also I moved into a new house and have been spending all my free time working on it.

Rob:  My friend Genevieve, a musician herself, finds it very hard to believe that you could play all these songs with just your two hands.  I told her that her lack of faith is disturbing (I got your back, Gerry) but what would you say to people who simply can’t believe it’s real?
Gerry:  First of all I’m not the only one who can do this. I’m just the only one to take it to the next level. To be asked by the california guitar trio to play their biggest hit live with them was the biggest compliment to what I do. To have Brian May of Queen post my video and give me such praise on brianmay.com is mind blowing.  To travel the world, make commercials, play live is more than I ever dreamed. If it all ended tomorrow I would be totally satisfied today.

Rob:   There’s no doubt that you’re a master hand musician but are there any other instruments you also enjoy playing?
Gerry:  I used to play the trumpet , baritone, french horn and tuba. I also messed around on a bass guitar. When I could play music on my hands better than I could play the instruments, I got rid of the instruments.

Rob:  Its safe to say that youtube plays a huge part in how people discover you and your talent.  It’s easy to forget that youtube is only a few years old and I often wonder how much talent went undiscovered before it’s inception.  How has youtube changed your life personally and what opportunities have you gained from it?
Gerry:  I had been promised the world since I was young. Always lied to. I decided to take matters in my own hands and put some videos on youtube. I never thought I would have 21 million views on one site, but I do. It has totally changed my life and I thank youtube for it all!

Rob:  You were on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE, how surreal was that?!  Tell us about that experience and what it was like for you.
Gerry:  I was asked to be on both Leno once and Letterman twice. Never happened! I did an interview with Kevin and Bean in California. When we were done they told me I would be getting a call in 45 minutes from the Jimmy Kimmel show. Jimmy used to write for them when he started in radio. They called and booked me on the spot, gave me a date, airline and hotel confirmations. They treated me like a star and I’ll always remember how nice they were.

Rob:  You are undeniably a youtube star!  Are there any other big youtubers out there that you’re a fan of?
Gerry:  Steve Riks is a musical  impersonator. We did a video together called Freddy Mercury: It’s 1975. Which is hilarious. He is the best!

Rob:  I got one last question.  When you attend a birthday party and they bring out the cake and everyone sings “Happy Birthday”…do you sing along vocally or play it with your hands?
Gerry:  I always play happy birthday!

Rob:  Gerry Phillips, you’re a very talented man and a great sport!  I just want to thank you for your time and wish you well in your future.  Is there anything you’d like to add?
Gerry:  Thank you!

We went to the Exxxotica convention in New Jersey…we met a lot of awesome people but we didn’t touch anyone…HOVER HANDS!…