Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Anthrax fans know Frank Bello as a talented and charismatic bassist onstage, but what they may not know is that he recently delved into one of his other passions, acting. Bello made an appearance at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to support and promote the movie ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley,’ in which he portrays punk icon Richard Hell. We had the pleasure of interviewing Bello following the film’s premiere at the festival, and he expressed his enthusiasm about the film, stepping into the shoes of Richard Hell, his experience in Toronto and his acting aspirations. Check out our Q&A with Frank Bello below: Talk about your experience at Toronto International Film Festival? The time I had at the Toronto film festival, I’m still buzzing by it, it was so incredible, just amazing. It was funny and kind of whirldwind-ish from when I got there and checked in all that stuff. The producers of the ‘Buckley’ film, they’re all really great people. They really took me under their wing and so I hung out with them and it really opened a lot of doors for me and introduced me to a lot of great, big time people. For me, I’m the rock guy who studied theater and all that stuff, just coming into this world. That night I was at the biggest party, the CAA party, I’m not a guy for parties but I met a lot of crazy, big people there. While on this huge red carpet, did you happen to run into any celebrities who happen to be Anthrax fans? No, but I’m starting to get a lot of people who are closeted Anthrax fans that were coming up to me at the party. Even at the CAA party there were all these closeted Anthrax fans and it was just crazy, you have celebrity actors and it’s always nice to hear a compliment that they respect what I did and that they like the fact that I’m expanding myself to this field. Let’s face it the fame game is all bulls—, I’ve been a little bit famous in my life and I find that it’s just there. I rather dig into the character I think that’s more fun instead of chasing the fame. To me that’s hilarious – chasing the fame, come on. What did playing punk icon Richard Hell mean to you? For me it was a lot of fun. I treat songwriting and characters kind of the same way. I equate putting a song, a verse, a part, a bridge, you pull and take things into a character – without sounding too actorish – it’s the process that I love, you become somebody else. You write a song, it starts off from nothing and it becomes this thing you live so that’s the one thing I’ve loved about the art of acting, it’s just fun to live that and be somebody else. Richard Hell, the background on him from asking people and looking him up immediately when I got that role, it’s that attitude and he did what wanted to do and I identify with that in a big way. He was himself. Did you do anything in particular to prepare yourself for this role? Yeah, I kind of just put myself there. I completely put on the attitude thing and I kind of just lived as the person for a couple of days. I’d go shopping, I’d go to a bar, I wouldn’t tell anybody, I’d just do what I did in that character. I always find that fun to see how they would act as opposed to how I would act. How did this opportunity of being part of ‘Greetings from Tim Buckley’ come about? Easy enough. I have a friend Penny Luedtke who I’ve known forever email me about this role, I was off a couple of weeks from Anthrax and she said, “This role is right for you.” So I went in there and gave it a hundred percent as much as I can. It worked out thankfully. I understand this isn’t your first acting role. You were on an episode of ‘Law & Order.’ Yeah, I was, that was great. I did that whole initial scene, it was pretty funny – I found the murder victim and stuff. I’ve done some theater in New York, I’m a New York guy. I’ve studied at the William Esper studios in New York and it’s just something I like doing. It’s just another part of me. What was the biggest difference for you between of filming a television show versus film. The television thing was more immediate especially the ‘Law & Order’ thing, there was more down time being on a film. We had early calls and they would shoot 14 and 16 hour days but I enjoy the process – just to be in somebody else’s world and live in that character and just to be somebody else for a while, it’s a different life that I love. Can we expect any future film roles we can expect from you? My whole thing with this Toronto Film Festival was to go there, get some press, I’d like to get some sort of real representation and just read for more. Anthrax will probably be writing the next record next year so there will be some down time where I would love to dig in and I would love to do more. ‘ Greetings From Tim Buckley ‘ tells the story of late singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley dealing with the legacy of his father, folk singer Tim Buckley. Frank Bello plays Richard Hell of the bands Television and Richard Hell & The Voidoids. The movie premiered on Sept. 9 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Stay tuned for part 2 of our interview with Frank Bello, focusing on Anthrax, Metal Masters and more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/anthrax-frank-bello-exodus-gary-holt-bassist-billy-sheehan-talk-metal-masters-4/” title=”Next: Watch Our Video Interview With Frank Bello + More at Metal Masters” align=”center”]
Jo Hale, Getty Images Over the course of his illustrious career, Duff McKagan has been in a lot of bands — and he touched on pretty much all of them during a recent interview with FasterLouder , looking back on his stints with Guns N’ Roses and Neurotic Outsiders while looking ahead to his future with Loaded , as well as weighing in on where Velvet Revolver might be headed. “I have no idea,” McKagan admitted when asked where the search is at in the effort to replace Scott Weiland in the band’s long-vacant lead singer slot. “I think it’s at nowhere. I think everybody just kind of got sick of talking about it, because there’s really no guy, so there’s nothing that me or Slash or Matt [Sorum] or Dave [Kushner] could say that would change the course of this question. So there’s nobody now, I think the longer that Slash is out touring, and that I’m out touring, people will stop asking as much. Maybe once it’s settled down, we’ll find the guy.” Asked which of his bands he’s most proud of, McKagan diplomatically responded, “I’m just proud of the fact people will still come and see me play. I don’t know if there’s one band in particular. I think just the whole arc has been jaw dropping for me, really. I’m proud of it all.” That includes his split from Jane’s Addiction , which he says happened because his tenure was always “more to service that band … for a minute.” He added, “It’s weird for me, a guy who’s always started his own bands, it’s kinda hard to come into a band with a 20-plus year history and try and fit in.” As for his current group Loaded, it sounds like McKagan is just out having fun; as he noted at one point during the interview, “If you see me doing something, I like doing it. … Rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t pay all the bills for sure. Record sales pay some of the bills, but these days no one’s really making a ton of money from selling records, maybe Linkin Park or Pearl Jam .” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/duff-mckagan-shares-battle-with-depression-post-9-11-attacks/” title=”Duff McKagan Shares Post 9/11 Battle With Depression” align=”center”]
Down Records/Independent Label Group Six songs from Down are better than a full album of tunes from many other bands. The title of the band’s new EP, ‘Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP,’ is incredibly long for an extended play, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts.The quintet makes efficient use of the space they’re working with and not a second is wasted. The EP is like a high quality, low-calorie meal. It fills you up, sustains you, gives you energy and makes you feel good, but with none of these excess pounds or throwaway fillers. Of course, it leaves you wanting more, because Down are that good, but you’re not starved. You’re satisfied. Singer Philip Anselmo is in as good of shape vocally as he has been in years. His low rumble hasn’t sounded this healthy or this commanding since the Pantera days. ‘Levitation’ roars with a moshable groove and guitar-tistry. It’s eerie and by the time Anselmo shows up to partner up with the equally dominant riffery, you’re consciousness will be elevated to a higher state. ‘Witchtripper’ positions itself as a modern anthem, opening with a short squall of feedback before pounding your skull into a fine dust with its rhythmic roar. Close your eyes for a minute and you’ll swear parts of Anselmo’s delivery sound like a young, robust Ozzy Osbourne . Even with its heft and its girth, the song’s melodic bluster makes it catchier than germs on a packed subway car. Anselmo provides the rumble of thunder over the bottom-feeding riffs on ‘Open Coffins,’ as well. ‘The Curse Is a Lie’ is a doomy, sonic sign of the apocalypse, and it boasts equally swamp-dwelling guitar sludge that was reared deep in the NoLA bayou. The ominous, lower-than-low tones are heavier than the atomic weight of lead. ‘This Work Is Timeless’ is a little faster and a little chunkier than the songs that come before it, but it’s just as thick and heady. ‘Misfortune Teller’ closes the EP and it packs the most potent groove of the bunch, and on an EP laden with potent grooves, that’s really saying something. Overall, Down make no effort to hide their Black Sabbath worship on these six meaty, muscular songs. But this EP is by no mans paying homage. Down soak their riffage in a metallic gumbo found only in NoLA, and it’s uniquely their own. But Down aren’t all bones and braun. This EP is the work of true metal artisans who aren’t afraid to be unpolished and dirty. What’s more metal than that? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-iv-part-1-the-purple-ep-prize-pack/” title=”Enter for a Chance to Win a ‘Down IV, Part 1’ Prize Pack” align=”center”]
With 12 years having passed since the year 2000 hit, an incredible wealth of metal has been unleashed upon the Earth as vintage heroes and youthful sonic titans have dedicated their collective beings to push the limits of brutality and expand the possibilities of what a metal band can achieve. To give thanks and present well-earned recognition to the bands that have enriched our lives through their music, we’ve lined
We’re teaming up with Swedish metal outfit Katatonia to bring you an awesome contest. To celebrate the upcoming release of Katatonia’s ninth full-length album, ‘Dead End Kings’ (due Aug. 28), and the band’s upcoming ‘Epic Kings & Idols’ tour, we’re giving away a special prize-pack to one lucky fan, consisting of prizes from the bands Katatonia, the Devin Townsend Project and Paradise Lost. With all three band gearing up for
The logo is important in creating an image for any brand. For rock bands, logos aid in creating a memorable trademark that can be put on anything, including merchandise, drum heads and the skin of diehard fans. Some iconic logos are as well known as the bands’ music. Along with Ultimate Classic Rock and Diffuser.fm, we’ve collected the best band logos in the rock community. Did your favorite band logo
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