You never quite know what you’re going to run into and it comes to conventions. You’ll see the cosplays, the vendors, the famous people charging $20 for a photo… But every convention holds its own little nuggets to separate themselves. And Indy PopCon is no different. This is our second go-round for Indy PopCon, and the first day has officially come to a close. While we have only dipped our toes into everything, we are excited to dive head-first. Located at the Indianapolis Convention Center.
Game Developers at Indy PopCon
Indy PopCon’s Early Love: Cosmo’s QuickStop
Last year we got to see a lot of amazing game developers. And the same can definitely be said for this year. Stacks on Stacks (on Stacks) returns even more powerful than ever. The game is bolstered with new modes, a full campaign, and a lot of other goodies. SSS is a party game which is also a former Steamlight Greenlight member, & is a ton of fun to play. Another favorite of ours so far at least, is Cosmo’s Quickstop. A time management game that feels like Futurama, mixed with Cooking Mama. In it, you play this little alien dude who has to man his Intergalactic gas station. You need to score at least 800 points to score free poster, and damn it I will get it! Eventually…
Another big winner for us, is the game No Mercy. A side scrolling beat’em up inspired by Castle Crashers. Its concept art and general aesthetics remind me of the game Skullgirls. It’s cell shaded graphics along with a very floaty feeling to its characters provides for a satisfying but original style. It’s definitely going to win best looking game in my opinion. But we’ve got a lot of other games that we got to play too. Including some board and card games!
Party Time at Indy PopCon!
The very first group that we got to talk to was a board game developer called be on board. The game is called MECH, and this strategic combat game is addicting. Moving your guys all around to destroy the enemy feels super satisfying. And with the luck of the draw being the difference between victory and crushing defeat, you know that you want to play it.
Indy Pop Con is hosting our friends Thousand Faces Cosplay again as well!
Even if you lose, because it was totally the cards’ fault!
The other top game definitely goes two the game hipster by Dodeca Systems. A card game where you have to match what’s cool before it gets too cool with all your friends. Whether it’s going vegan, having a tongue piercing, doing Henna, and much much more the rules are always ready to change. And the rule changes will come in random and completely arbitrary ways. Just like the real hipsters.
Just getting started
The first day of Indy PopCon was an absolute blast. Meeting so many cool people, an amazing video games, and all the cool vendors is beyond words. It’s really a shame that we’ve only got two more days, because we could probably spend a week doing all of this and not get everything and talk to all the amazing people here. Tomorrow is going to be the fullest day for Indy Pop Con, can we plan on talking to every person possible! So if you are at Indy popcon this year please feel free to stop by with us will have the Slickster t-shirts on us!
UFC 213 is by far the most underrated card of the year so far, you’ve got two highly competitive title fights as well as the trilogy between Alistair Overeem & Fabricio Werdum. The opening fight of the main card is former champion Anthony Pettis’s return to lightweight against Jim Miller.
Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko
Odds: Nunes -146, Shevchenko +124
After a successful first title defence against the most recognised name in women’s MMA which came in shocking fashion, Nunes now takes on Valentina Shevchenko who is also coming off of impressive performances against Holly Holm and Juliana Pena.
These two met no less than 15 months ago at UFC 196, Nunes winning a decision despite facing some trouble towards the tail end of the fight. The late drama begged the question of whether Shevchenko would stand a better chance of winning in a five round fight and now she’s in a position to find out.
The animosity between these ladies has been increasing ever since the fight was announced, tensions came to a boiling point at the summer kick-off press conference in which Nunes initiated some contact during the face-offs.
Easily two of the best technical strikers in the division this fight should be everything the fans wanted Nunes vs Rousey to be.
Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker
Odds: Romero -167, Whittaker +130
The second title fight on the card is for the interim middleweight championship.
Yoel Romero has been long considered the number one contender ever since the fight with Jacare Souza. Although Romero was victorious he tested positive for a banned substance which was later proved to be a tainted supplement. The six-month ban following the USADA violation meant the champion Michael Bisping faced Dan Henderson in Romero’s absence.
Upon Romero’s return in November 2016 a fight with Chris Weidman was scheduled and again Romero was successful this time winning with a picturesque flying knee knockout during round three.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaEse1f6oGY
Following the victory over Weidman, Romero was yet again forced to step aside due to the return of MMA icon George St-Pierre. There is no doubt Romero had done enough to secure his chance to take on the champion, however, a matchup between St-Pierre & Bisping was too lucrative an opportunity for the UFC to pass up.
By contrast, Whittaker has earned his place in no time at all. Luke Rockhold (although AWOL) is currently ranked one place above him, Gegard Mousasi is arguably more deserving of the title shot yet Whittaker has jumped the Que with two consecutive finishes against Derek Brunson & Jacare Souza.
Those two wins have been so impressive that nobody is upset about Whittaker being in this spot, he’s now only one win away from taking on Bisping for the undisputed middleweight title.
Fight of the Night Candidate
Anthony Pettis vs Jim Miller
Once regarded as one of the top pound for pound fighters on the planet Pettis finds himself in a slump, 1-4 in his last 5 fights is unbelievable for someone with the talents Anthony Pettis has. This could be Pettis’s last chance in the UFC, moving back up to lightweight where he is most comfortable gives Pettis the best chance to rediscover his previous form.
Jim Miller is a name that’s been relevant in the lightweight division for quite a while it seems, to claim five fight of the night awards competing against the level of fighters Miller has since 2009 is nothing short of phenomenal. I can’t remember the last Jim Miller fight which wasn’t entertaining, and I’m certain this will be no exception.
Main Card Predictions
Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko (Nunes)
Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker (Romero)
Daniel Omielanczuk vs Curtis Blaydes (Omielanczuk)
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Favorite band or musical act: Panic! at the Disco (Brendon Urie is ungodly talented)
Movie that scared you the most or your favorite video game: The Conjuring 2 is my favorite movie and FIFA 2017!
Tell us about your hobbies or the worst date you ever went on: My hobbies include:
Modeling
Learning Russian (I’m engaged to a Rusky!)
Reading (online or a book, both fiction and nonfiction)
Any outdoor activity, really
Culinary crafting
Writing poetry
Writing on my natural health, fitness, and beauty blog
Spending time with friends
Lifting weights/yoga/sprints/crossfit/krav maga
The worst date that I ever went on was when I was 15. It was the first date that my parents ever let me go on by myself, and the guy, Brett, I thought was 17. It turned out that he was 20, and he spent most of the dates making uncomfortable comments about my body and eventually tried to stick his tongue down my throat. I faked sick so that he could take me home early and when my mom asked how it went, I just replied, “no comment.”
Since then, I have been very lucky with my dates. Perhaps if my first experience hadn’t been so negative, then that wouldn’t be the case.
6/30/2017 – Jason Nassr is an activist based out of Ontario Canada. He coaches people in legal matters and is passionate about environmental issues. Yet, he may be most widely known for his other activities. Nassr has an online presence that targets pedophile sexual predators. Here is the second part of his story, as told to Slickster Magazine. The first part of the interview is available here.
Slickster Magazine – Would you say that there is an ‘EPIDEMIC’ on online sexual predators who target children?
Jason Nassr – An ‘epidemic’ would suggest that it’s come out of nowhere and there is some kind of magic cure for it, or that it is going to annihilate everybody… every body is going to ‘catch it’ . I don’t know if this is something that can be caught. For me, this is purely about making bad choices. If you watch any of our episodes, I usually like to tell people that closes out my confrontation with somebody, “Make better choices.” Because, that is what this is. This is a breakdown in their ability to make a reasonable choice. You’re going from desire to a breakdown in this person now going from desire, to acting on their desire in an instant.
It takes the right set of circumstances… wether depression is going on, wether they are lonely, whatever the fuck… They’re socially inept. They’re chastised by their family…. lost their job, having a midlife crisis, WHATEVER it is, it’s something that takes them beyond what a reasonable person does. Which is, report the account in violation, or disengage from that individual. And if there is a that BREAKDOWN, it’s all about choice. For me, I see this as all about choice. For some people it may be a compulsion, and maybe with the proliferation with the internet and online pornography it makes this impulse or desire greater. That doesn’t mean people should have a breakdown in their ability to make reasonable choices. So for me, I can’t see this as an epidemic. I see this as, this is an individual problem that has to be dealt with individually, because it’s each individual’s own problem and the reason why they are making that choice is usually different. Some are very similar.
I did an interview, as a documentary filmmaker, with Dr. Joy Brown. She’s a notable radio psychologist from New York City. So, I went to NYC and sitting her studio and interviewing her about this subject matter, pedophilia. She tells me that, pedophilia is like spectrum; There’s not one particular silver bullet for everybody, and I completely agree. This is such a wide spectrum. There can’t be one particular reason why somebody makes this kind of choice.
You mentioned early on that this (online pedophile activism) isn’t an organized movement yet. Who are some of the other people that are tackling this issue?
Other than those we already spoke about? You’ve probably heard of The Creep Catchers from Canada. Dr. Joy Brown was helpful when I made my documentary film, The Man Behind The Farm. There’s PopSquad. From the UK, there is Stinson Hunter, but the last that I saw, I think that he is going to be retiring. Anexity War, but he got his channel shut down.
Anxiety War was one of the first people we had on Slickster Magazine regarding this subject matter.
Most of the time, what I’ve kind of experienced and seen, is that there is a huge number of these groups, and people in the these groups, doing this kind of stuff that are actually victims themselves. That’s why I think that most of them get very angry and emotional. Some of them have gotten very physical, because they are emotionally tied to something like this. Including Justin Payne. I watched his documentary and he said in the film, he is an abuse survivor. He was abused from an early age by an elderly woman. Thankfully, I haven’t suffered abuse like that and I come at from a place of trying to be a journalist. I don’t think that there many other people out there like me who approach this like a journalist.
Jason, we’ve already cleared up the fact that you are NOT a vigilante. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about, promote,…?
I think all of this is so closely tied to basic human respect. If you take a look at my channel, environmentalism is a huge thing for me. I consider myself to be an eco-activist to some degree. I think this is related to what I do when I go after the people that I catch. It’s about basic respect; Respect for oneself, respect for other people, and respect for the environment. If we have those three types of respect that are in place, then most of the world’s problems will go away!
I hope that someone who reads this article can develop, maybe not a fondness, but I guess… Respect is the word, for the people that are being caught. Because, I think that there are not enough resources out there that support people who make these kinds of choices. For instance if we have someone who is feeling, or thinking that they have pedophilla tendencies, and they go to the doctor and say this, the first thing the doctor does is go to the police and reports them because they are a threat to children. So, if we have that kind of system in place right now, that doesn’t support these people and doesn’t respect this as an issue, then I think it only gets worse. With the criminal justice system, that is one of the main reasons why we don’t make reports. I don’t think the criminal justice system is the best way to have someone reform from this kind of choice in their life.
Thanks to Slickster Magazine and letting me speak with you!
Signed by the New York Mets earlier in 2016, Tim Tebow has just been promoted to High-A baseball. This is one of those moments where you remember that all sports are still a business. Because if you look at the numbers, you can’t make much sense to promote him. This is one of those moments where you remember that all sports are a business. Because if you look at the numbers, you make much sense to promote him.
Tebow by the Numbers
Nobody had expected much from him in terms of baseball. It’s true, he hit a homerun on his first at-bat. But since then he has definitely been more fizzle than sizzle. No, he’s not being promoted for his .648 OPS, nor for his horrid pitch recognition. Nope, it the fact that he’s a Heisman Trophy winner with nearly 7 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, and one of the sports world’s most successful brands. And as Five-Thirty-Eight have pointed out, Tebow is actually worse for the team in terms of winning. And if you don’t believe me, the numbers to back it up.
For the sake of comparison, look at another half they too thought they could make it in baseball. Michael Jordan. A man who was ridiculed as nothing more than a publicity stunt. While their impact on their respective sports are incomparable, it’s fun to look at how the two stack up in baseball.
Tim Tebow’s StatsMichael Jordan’s Stats
Clearly, MJ was never going to actually make it into the MLB, and when you compare his numbers to Tim Tebow’s, they’re very similar. Poor hitters with less power than you would hope, and plenty of fielding errors. Fun fact, they both play outfield.
Tim Tebow the Ticket Sale Man
I’m a Baseball Player
So clearly, Tim Tebow isn’t getting promoted because he’s awesome at baseball. At 29 years old it’s very unlikely that he will even sniff the Major Leagues. But I don’t think that’s what really matters. Everyone knows he’s here to sell tickets, and boy does he. Wherever he plays the stadium sells out their tickets. After the announcement of his assignment to the Columbia Fireflies, season tickets were gone quicker than when Tebowing stopped trending.
Many people have scrutinized him for playing baseball. Saying that he’s taking some other kids spot. That because of his selfishness, and the fact that he couldn’t cut it in football some other kid won’t get to live their dream. I call bullshit. If a player is that good they’ll get out of LOW SINGLE A baseball no matter what. It’s true, Tim Tebow did get promoted quicker than Bryce Harper did. But this is the level of baseball where nobody is that close to making it. Where even the most dominant players are still years out from getting called up to the majors. So what’s the harm?
Everyone Relax and Enjoy the Game.
Minor league baseball is one of the great things about America. Some of my favorite memories from growing up we’re going to Dayton Dragons games, cheering on the home team. I never had a clue growing up who any of those guys were. I found out who they were when they came up to the majors, but I was only at the Dragons to watch a game happen. And here’s the thing, the Dragons played at the same level as Columbia does. So what’s the harm in some famous guy playing for them if the people like him? All that does is just add to the entertainment value. And at the end of the day, that’s what sports are. Entertainment. So if that sells tickets go right ahead.
6/27/2017, By: Scott March – The “Battle of Brisbane”, is a scheduled boxing match for the WBO welterweight championship. The fight is scheduled to take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on July 2nd, 2017. While many people, fighters and boxing pundits have written off the 38 year Phillipino champion following the controversial loss to Floyd Mayweather, others disagree.
Tale of the Tape
WBO World welterweight title (supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel)
Manny Pacquiao
v
Jeff Horn
38
age
29
southpaw
stance
orthodox
5′ 5½″ / 166cm
height
175cm / 5′ 9″
67” / 170cm
reach
173cm / 68″
(38 KOs) 59
won
16 (11 KOs)
(3 KOs) 6
lost
0 (0 KOs)
2
drawn
1
Pacquiao’s strengths and weaknesses
There is no comparison in the level of experience. With over 60+ professional bouts, Pacquiao is the clear veteran in the ring. He has legendary speed, but is known to leave himself open to counter punches. If he is not careful, Horn could potentially exploit the champ’s defense and score points.
Horn’s strengths and weaknesses
Horn has powerful overhand right that devastates opponents. Wether he’ll be able to land it on Pacquaio is another story. With only 17 professional fights he has likely never fought someone with the skill of Pacquiao.
Police Simulator: Law Enforcement becomes Police Simulator 18!
Moenchengladbach/Germany, June 27, 2017 – Dazzling blue lights, high-speed emergency drives and exciting investigative work: Last August publisher astragon Entertainment and Portuguese developer Big Moon Interactive first announced a new police simulation game, which will let players experience the exciting day-to-day policework of a real US police officer, under the working title Police Simulator – Law Enforcement. Today, astragon is very happy to show some first screenshots of the game which will be released as Police Simulator 18 in retail and as digital download at the end of 2017.
In Police Simulator 18 the player will slip into the role of a real US police officer – either male or female – and discover the interesting challenges and varied tasks that lie waiting for him in the streets of the sprawling US city of Loston Bay. The player can choose to go on patrol through three different city districts either alone in the game’s single player mode or together with a friend in the cooperative two-person multiplayer mode. The extremely expansive – and thanks to the use of the Unreal® Engine 4 very lifelike – metropolis can be freely explored by the player either on foot or in one of three distinct patrol cars.
In addition to these police cars with their fully functional cockpits the virtual cop will of course also be able to use a broad range of authentic police equipment such as safety vests, handcuffs, flashlights, firearms and more.
Police Simulator 18 will be released for PC at the end of 2017. More information about the game will be coming soon.
Further information about the development of Police Simulator 18 will also be available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoliceSimulator18/
Joey Gonzalez is the affable drummer for metal behemoths Superjoint. He is also a founding member of thrash lords Warbeast, and pounds the skins for Phil Anselmo’s solo project The Illegals. Superjoint just wrapped up their 2nd leg of the Caught Up in the Gears of Application Tour with a 3rd leg coming soon. Mr. Gonzalez took some time from his busy schedule to sit down with Slickster magazine and talk about his various projects, his love of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his hometown of Fort Worth, TX.
Cheers
How did you get involved with Superjoint?
Joey Gonzalez – “I played with Phil (Anselmo) in The Illegals and we learned some Pantera songs and Superjoint songs to add into the set. We had already known some Superjoint songs, so when it came time to get together for the Housecore Horrorfest it was just more or less seeing if Jimmy (Bower) and Kevin (Bond) wanted to get back in the band. In Philip’s mind if we were going to do it those were the guys that I would want to jump in. So, it happened pretty natural and pretty fast and as soon as we got in the room we just started writing for what became the Caught Up in the Gears of Application album.”
So it went from a one-off show to this full-on band?
Joey Gonzalez – “It was a trip. I always thought it was surreal to begin with anyways, and having the opportunity to join, but when Superjoint came about it was a whole different can of worms. It was something different than the solo project with The Illegals. With Superjoint, up until the band was formed, I want to say that the prior year Phil had been firm on Superjoint saying ‘no way… it’ll never happen’.
“But, we did make it happen, we just made it happen in a very different way. We got rid of the ‘Ritual’ part of the name, now it’s just ‘Superjoint’, and we’re pushing a new record. We’re probably not going to be selling the old CD’s, and stuff like that. We’re in the future now and trying to go forward, and keep the traditions alive with as much of the vibe and grit as the old band. It’s still the same idea, we’ve just had to change little bits and pieces to keep it going. But… other than that it’s easy for us to get along and get in a room and jam.”
The new record Caught Up in the Gears of Application sounds effortless, like the whole band was just having a good time recording. What was the process like?
Joey Gonzalez – “It happened very fast, from the very first time we got in a room together, me and Steve (Taylor) already knew some of the Superjoint songs so we played them. The rest of the band was like ‘Goddamn!!’. And it was just a lot of fun for everybody. I think the very first time we all got in a room together we actually started kicking around riffs and ideas. The recording process at Housecore with Philip is awesome because we will spend anywhere from 4-8 hours in the studio, but we record every little bit of it. There is an engineer always there with us. It’s time consuming and expensive, but we definitely do not waste the effort.
“Anytime we have a chance to get together and jam, there is usually riffs galore. And even right now, out here on the road, we have several acoustic guitars and the guys have been going bananas with riffs left and right. Just coming up with all kinds of different stuff being creative and picking it apart later.”
“Steve (Taylor) and I are in the Illegals, and there are others that have several projects going on at a time. There is a new project coming out eventually that is a huge departure from what we normally do, but I think it is going to blow people’s minds and capture a whole different audience. It’s very incestuous as far as the same guys being in different bands.
“People ask us how hard it is to separate the material, we tell them ‘it’s really not’ because we know what each project is intended to sound like. You can make a 5 minute piece and say ‘you know what?’ If it’s a Superjoint riif it’s a Superjoint riff, if it’s an Illegals riff, it’s an Illegals riff, you can use it later, but just be creative and try to do as much as possible.”
How do you come to wear so many hats as a drummer with Warbeast, Superjoint, and The Illegals?
Joey Gonzalez – “They all make it so easy. People don’t give Philip enough credit as a guitar player, but he’s a writer, he writes a lot of the riffs. As far as execution there might be some debate here and there, especially from Philip, but a lot of the new Illegals stuff have three guitars on the record; Philip’s playing, he wrote a lot of it, we wrote a lot of it together.
“Philip is the boss, when he comes in and he’s in a mood, and has a particular idea in mind, that is what we are going to go for first. None of us have 100% of an idea to where we are like ‘shut the fuck up and listen to what we are doing’. When Philip has it, it just starts coming to him and it just goes and goes until something comes out of it.
“Right now we have a playlist of recorded songs and unreleased material and it’s 2 ½ to 3 hours long. I think Philip has always been a fan of music, and the underground, and he’s like ‘why am I gonna stop’.
“I’m always trying to write blast beats, and it’s nice to have these guys telling me to slow it down and stay in the pocket, it’s good to relax a little bit. But it’s always good because if Jimmy (Bower) comes up with a weird ass riff, I just start blasting over it, and it just happens to sound really noisy, and thrashy, and cool. And we start talking amongst ourselves asking if it is an Illegals riff or a Superjoint riff because we have a blast beat here and there. I can still bring back bits and pieces of my style. That’s just my style of drumming, I am a thrash/death metal style drummer and come from that aggressive and extreme background. I am definitely trying to put my stamp on it and still try to make it heavy as fuck and it’s still me. I wouldn’t want anybody to listen to it and say ‘Aw man, you’re doing the same thing on every record.’ What a bummer that would be.”
You’re from Fort Worth, TX, tell me a little about how your hometown influenced you and your love of music?
Joey Gonzalez – “Well, both Dallas and Fort Worth are two very different cities with two very different music scenes. Fort Worth is more of a country/western music scene, Dallas is a little more modern in the sense that pretty much all genre’s travel through Dallas. They both have competing markets. You could play a show in Fort Worth, and then the next night play in Dallas and still have a really good draw. What’s really cool about Texas is that you could just do a whole tour just through the state and not do too bad. That’s how a lot of classic Texas bands got started.
“That’s what we had to do, just go out there and eat shit for a while until something happened. I love Fort Worth, I love playing in Fort Worth, the scene there has always been good to us in Warbeast. We ended our tour there, fucking go out with a bang with a hometown show.
“Fort Worth has always been a pretty lax place. I was in high school, I had no driver’s license but at 16 years old I was already playing in bars. I had a mustache when I was really young so no one ID’ed me, it was pretty cool. I had good grades and stuff when I graduated high school. I followed all the rules so that I could go and break them. Fort Worth is where I was born and raised, and if I retire somewhere I might move to the mountains or something, but Fort Worth is where it’s at for me. It’s my home and it’s been nothing but good to me.
“I worked for tons of productions companies in and around the city, just made tons and tons of connections and been going to shows since I was 13 and 14. That was the biggest thing, that I was able to play bars when I was 15 or 16 years old and no one ever batted an eye. Pretty early on I understood what it was like to get paid. A lot of things that bands complain about doing these days I did . I used to go out and put flyers all around town, and I’m pretty sure that all my guys used to do that back in the day.
“But I think that my generation of musicians might have been one of the last to have to actually get up and do something, rather than have it done over the internet. And I love flyers man…it doesn’t happen anymore. If you look at old Superjoint flyers back in the day, almost every show had an individual poster that was limited to that spot. I’ll bet Philip and Hank (Williams III) put out more posters than any other band around, which is just cool.
“Philip’s idea is that the lights, dancers, and pyro… that’s what separates us from them, we’re not gonna give out on who we are and what we are here to do. I’m not saying that blowing fire out of my drumsticks wouldn’t be cool, but that isn’t gonna be part of my schtick. If Philip turned around and saw my sticks on fire, he would probably drop his jaw and tell me I was dumb.”
Can you point to a time where you decided that you wanted to be a full time musician?
Joey Gonzalez – “It was pretty early on. I’m short, but I was a pretty decent football player in high school. And, I had to choose between the football championship game, or a gig, and I was like ‘ bro, I want to go jam with my homies’. I didn’t get to take the championship picture but I was on the football team. I missed the last important game because of a gig. I didn’t even think I was going to start, I just had to be there, and I was playing a lot, but I wasn’t starting because I was short and they wanted tall people. So that was it… my championship football game. I didn’t go, got kicked out of everything because of a gig and never looked back. I love football, but I think I did alright. I don’t think 5’6” will get you anywhere in the NFL.”
I read somewhere that Warbeast has a record coming out soon?
Joey Gonzalez – “We just finished recording our third album called Enter the Arena and it’s got some cool stuff on it. We have two newer members of the band, they came in and did a pretty good job in the studio, it’s cool man, it’s sounds good.
“It definitely sounds like Warbeast. I think the overall tones are awesome. It’s a little better produced with some nice mastering, the songs have a lot more dynamics to them than the last record. My drums aren’t that bombastic this time around, they still haul ass, but as far as my hands and feet, and tech-wise everything is a little more rounded out and held together. It’s a long time comin’, but we had to find new members and postpone some things due to unforeseen events. But we’re here, we have a bunch of CD release shows coming’ and then we might try to do a longer tour later this year.”
Is there good energy when the Superjoint tours?
Joey Gonzalez – “It’s been great, lots of good vibes, packed houses, even on the weeknights, and people are taking to the new music well. Lots of old fans, new fans, lots of kids. I was at one show the other night and there must have been at least 10-12 kids in the crowd.”
What are your major musical influences?
Joey Gonzalez – “Stevie Ray Vaughan…where I’m at in Fort Worth, I’m just a couple of minutes from Oak Cliff where he was from. I’ve always loved Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar playing, if I ever played guitar that is who I would want to play guitar like. It would be a happy day if I could play in a Stevie Ray Vaughan cover band.
“Once I knew that I wanted to play music, my CD collection stopped growing. I stopped buying CDs and really didn’t buy anything that didn’t have to do with my drum shit. I think I had Black Sabbath’s Sabotage which helped me through my life, not so much musically, but more frame of mind. Pantera too because where I’m from, it’s a given. I was born in 1990 when Cowboys From Hell came out and I never got to meet Dimebag Darrell, I never got to see Pantera live. It’s all still very surreal and I feel very fortunate to be a part of Superjoint. The music that helped shape my career, I get to be a part of now.”
What do you think of the current state of metal? There is a big DIY ethos coming back…
Joey Gonzalez – “For us, there was really never a question whether or not you are going to tour. This is your business, and it’s what you have to do. But, there are other bands, that may have been bigger a while back and tasted that success that are now trying to come back and relive the glory days. The bands are coming back and…I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a money grab, but that is how much the industry has taken a toll, where one day those musicians were like ‘my music is going to stand the test of time’, and…well… maybe, but you better get back on the stage and shake that ass, you better put those leather pants back on grandpa and get back out there.
“It’s a labor of love… What else are we gonna do…Get a job at Steinmart, or a Country Club, both places I actually used to work at? And that’s just one aspect, no one takes into consideration the competitiveness between bands, and all the genres, and subgenres, and categories, and cliques. It’s a fucking business, and as a band we want to jam, but you would be surprised how many people it takes to book a tour, and set up the logistics, and then we pay every night to play, whether people believe it or not. Clubs take percentages of merchandise and shit like that.
“It’s been like that for years, but it costs to be the boss man when you’re trying to stay afloat. You are not at the mercy of your fanbase, but… your fans make you. As long as their coming to shows and are happy, that’s killer. I tell people, the fastest way to help a band is to buy their merchandise, that money goes directly to the band. You want to put gas in somebody’s tank for a local band, you buy a t-shirt.”
What is next for you, Warbeast, and Superjoint?
Joey Gonzalez – It’s the summertime, so I’ll take my daughter to the beach in between shows, but not too much time. We’re gearing up for part three of the Caught Up in the Gears of Application Tour and then we have Metal Maya in October where Superjoint is going to Cancun to do a show out there with Anthrax and a bunch of other dudes. We might have the holiday off, and then back at it.
Favorite band or musical act: Tons. Love The Weekend, Deftones, The Game and myself.
Movie that scared you the most or your favorite video game: Cabin In The Woods
Tell us about your hobbies or the worst date you ever went on: I am a DJ so I like to DJ and make music. I also am in the adult industry so when I am not shooting I find myself behind the camera directing. Hobbies would be yoga, exercise and cooking.
6/23/2017 – Not much is known about Synthwave artist 7DD9. Where did he come from? How did he get here. Is he, in fact, a ‘he’ at all? We may never know the answers to these questions, but we do know he (we’re going with ‘he’) creates some awesome synth wave music. Lucky for the readers of Slickster Magazine, 7DD9 uses email. So, we reached out to him with some questions and we’re lucky enough to get a response. Hope you enjoy!
How shall we address you? Do you have a name?
My name is nobody. You can address me as 7DD9.
On your FB page you write, “Weird things will happen between 2040 – 2065“… can you please describe what those will be?
Haha.. I thought no one is going to notice this… I guess you’ll have to find out.
What have you been working on? Any new material for the upcoming album?
I released Alternative Facts (LP) in February. At this time I’m working on my next album. Also, I have finished a new project (EP). It was scheduled to be released at this period, but I sense that something is holding it back.
Did you go to school for music or self taught?
I remember myself staring a farfisa and I felt a great energy. I laid my hands on her and the journey began (self taught).. Since then, I never stopped playing and trying to evolve myself on the synths deeper. Also I have study electrical engineering, audio engineering and I’m a professional sound engineer.
Do drugs and/or alcohol help or hinder the creative process?
No drugs, no alcohol, no smoke. I’m straight edge and naturally high. The only thing that accompanies me in the studio is coffee and water. When music manages to successfully move the needle of your heart’s VU…there… That’s the best drug for me and it’s priceless.
Is synthwave music good to have sex too?
I’m not sure, I tried to fuck her but i couldn’t find any physical parts of her! It depends, if you are a romantic and nostalgic person, yes it is.
You released the track “Fantastic Voyage” on your Youtube channel for free. It is one of our favorite tracks of yours. Can you please describe the process of how you wrote this song and programmed the tracks?
Thank you, I’m glad you like it. I was sitting in the studio and I was troubled. Suddenly I felt like I’m in a space cockpit and I don’t know what to do. So, I started to play on the synthesizer some melodies, chords, pads, etc. When I finished it i knew it was a Fantastic “intergalactic” voyage! I enjoyed it alot. Mostly, the tracks are inspired from our daily lives. Also from books, movies, images, flash moments, time travels. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to talk with Slickster Magazine and best of luck with all of your musical projects in the FUTURE! Is there anything you’d like to promote to your fans?
Thank you for the hospitality in your magazine and for this interview, it was a pleasure. Best of luck to you too in the future.
Written by Josh Brewer, June 23rd, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. Tweet to: @theJWBrewer
Title: Misery
Director: Rob Reiner Writer: William Goldman Based on the Novel by Stephen King Release Date: Nov. 30th, 1990 Cast: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall
Cliff’s Notes
After nearly dying in a car crash, a writer finds he’s been saved by his number one fan. Alas, she’s crazy as all get out and wants nothing more that to make his new story murder.
Lecture
Okay, so I had a major sidestep with the my King movie from last week, so I was hoping to recover with Misery. Generally regarded as one of the foremost King adaptations – even he agrees – Misery manages to take the best parts of Kings novel and build them into one hell of a flick.
Essentially a two hander, Misery lives and dies with its cast. And I’m glad to say that Caan and Bates were up to the challenge. Caan rocks as the distraught writer desperate to survive his encounter with his number one fan while Bates gives a performance for the ages. She ranges from sympathetic to demonic, angelic to insane in a matter of minutes. Bates won an Oscar for her performance – Misery stands as one of the few horror films to even be nominated for Hollywood’s biggest honor – and her work stands as one of the genre’s highlights.
Of course, the awesome acting would be wasted if the rest of the flick doesn’t stack up. Luckily, Misery rocks with stellar work from its director and writer. Reiner manages to fill the film with all kinds of dread and tension while Goldman takes one of King’s most intimate stories and opens it up to feature film level. The very few flaws in Misery can’t manage to slow down one of horror’s best offerings.
Acting
Bates is the movie and her work has never been better. She gives one hell of a performance and manages to make her horror movie villain into a three dimensional person. I can’t think of another actor who would rock this role this hard. Nice job! Caan gives his strongest performance in almost a decade, imbuing his character with the manliness than defines his work while balancing it with a vulnerability that most actors couldn’t match. Rumor has it that a dozen actors turned down the role for being “too weak” compared to Bates. Caan steps in and showed them who’s boss.
Directing
Reiner rarely takes on a horror flick, his work remains varied in terms of genre, but he does well here. He manages to hold tension and build up dread with the best of them. He manages the claustrophobia well, really making the view feel trapped by the use of his shot composition and angles. Not as strong as the rest of the film, but pretty damn good.
Script
Goldman rocks – check out the rest of his work, stellar all around – and he manages to give King’s story one hell of a send off. His dialogue feels natural and engaging while his pacing leaves nothing to be desired. He also manages to expand the story naturally, including new characters logically and making them feel intertwined honestly.
Effects
So, Misery manages to be all kinds of terrifying without relying on its effects. That makes the use of them even stronger, because they hurt like no other. The creme de la creme has to be the hobbling scene, which remains one of the major achievements in horror cinema. That’s not to say the rest of the flick lacks any goodies, but Misery doesn’t need them to be successful. Quality work.
Highlights
See effects. But also Kathy Bates and all of her greatness.
Lowlights
So, a really tiny thing, the coda of the film seemed a little glib to me. It falls just slightly out of the tone of the rest of the film, which limits the final moment. Super tiny, I know, but worth mentioning.
Final Thoughts
By far one of the best Stephen King adaptations, Misery takes the performances of The Shining and matches them with the care and focus of Carrie and Cujo. This puppy is still one of his best.
Gaming on YouTube has had a bit of a rocky relationship recently. Ever since the latest ” ad-pocalypse” gaming content has taken a serious hit. But that doesn’t mean that gaming is dead on Youtube. While Twitch streaming is definitely on its tail, traditional gaming YouTubers are still very successful. And according to Forbes, the most successful this year is Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier.
Markiplier’s Rise to Fame
While he still feels lost at times, Mark has found a home on YouTube.
In an interview with Forbes Magazine, the self-described introvert talked about his life before YouTube.
“I’d had a bad breakup, I was fired, I had a tumor in my adrenal gland,” he said. “It was a series of unfortunate events. As I was recovering, I was so desperate to have something that was under my control.”
Despite treating his channel as a full-time, the money wasn’t exactly rolling in when he started. However, as horror and independently produced video games we’re trending on YouTube, he began to as well. Playing games like Cry of Fear, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Slender: the Eight Pages, Markiplier cut his teeth on horror games. As the views started to roll in, Mark became less of an early adopter and more of a trendsetter. Videos about Five Nights at Freddy’s, a series he was instrumental in the popularity of, has 21 videos with at least 15 million views. And seven of them have at least 25 million views, with the top two over 50 million views.
Major Influencer
Like all YouTubers, Markiplier started from humble beginnings. But that has definitely changed for him now. Instead of making tens of dollars per video, Mark is racking in the money now. Currently, he is represented by the Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavor, a sign of his money making potential. Not including his near 18 million subscribers on YouTube, Mark is extremely influential and social media. Mark’s internet dominance continues to grow with over 3 million likes on his Facebook page, over 6 million followers on Twitter, and about 6 million followers on Instagram. In addition to his social media presence , many game developers look to him as well as other YouTubers for feedback and are recognized as an integral part of game marketing.
World Beyond YouTube
If you followed Mark from the beginning, you know that his passion has also included comedy. Not just in the style of his gaming videos, but in actual sketch comedy as well. He admits that he didn’t have any idea what he was doing in the beginning. But, he also admits he doesn’t take any days off. When not working on his YouTube channel, he constantly works to improve his abilities elsewhere including sketch comedy. Having just wrapped up a comedy tour with his friends and co-workers, Markiplier has aspirations bigger than just YouTube.
A fellow top influencer Lilly Singh, better known as Superwoman, show’s a clear path forward. Lilly has gone on to find mainstream success outside of YouTube, in acting and as a New York Times bestselling author. Mark has stated that he has no plans to stop doing YouTube anytime soon however. And when you have a channel that continues to grow at an exponential rate, fiercely loyal fans, and you continue to raise millions for charity it’s hard to argue against it.
Mark has faced criticism in the past for a lot of common issues with YouTube gamers. This includes clickbait titles, over-hyping videos, over acting to elicit a response, etc. These criticisms are very valid. Has definitely been guilty of that in the past, and does tend to ham it up a bit to this day. But that doesn’t stop Markiplier from continuing to do what he loves. Making videos for his followers.
Markiplier’s Response
Ironically, Mark’s response wasn’t the most positive about his award. He believed that such an award wasn’t befitting of the kind of community that he has built with his legions of fans.
Look, I’m honored. I really am. But I think you all know how much I abhor the term”influencer” and the accolades that accompany it.
While his response is admirable, and refreshingly humble, he may have gotten the wrong idea. This isn’t about him being some big celebrity. It’s about how he has built something that has created a real impact with others. His actions hold weight with others, and he is in a position to be influential towards others. Not in a negative light, but that people want to hear what he has to say. While he may shy away from it, he has earned his place on Forbes’ list.
In Police Simulator 18 the player will slip into the role of a real US police officer – either male or female – and discover the interesting challenges and varied tasks that lie waiting for him in the streets of the sprawling US city of Loston Bay. The player can choose to go on patrol through three different city districts either alone in the game’s single player mode or together with a friend in the cooperative two-person multiplayer mode. The extremely expansive – and thanks to the use of the Unreal® Engine 4 very lifelike – metropolis can be freely explored by the player either on foot or in one of three distinct patrol cars.
I released 
Director: Rob Reiner
up to the challenge. Caan rocks as the distraught writer desperate to survive his encounter with his number one fan while Bates gives a performance for the ages. She ranges from sympathetic to demonic, angelic to insane in a matter of minutes. Bates won an Oscar for her performance – Misery stands as one of the few horror films to even be nominated for Hollywood’s biggest honor – and her work stands as one of the genre’s highlights.
