Today, my guest is someone I admire for his talents as a musical phenom.  

Hailing from the Chicago area, or at least the band does, Michael Bala of Necronomicon Ex Mortis is the kind of guy I really enjoy talking to. He's a serious talent, and his voice deserves to be amplified.

Here's the thing. I really believe that most public relations outlets don't give extreme metal its due. Sure, it may not be your personal taste, but it takes just as much talent, if not a TON more, to play the musical passages these monster musicians do.  

In fact, as I say often, I can only assume the best classical composers would be metal musicians if they were alive today.  I would think that Stravinsky might be in this band.  We shall see, eh?

Ladies, gentlemen, from the depths of Midwest hell comes my guest.  Michael Bala... welcome, brother!

Time Codes:

2:00 I can do voices
6:00 Tiktok music
10:00 The vanilla changes the flavor
14:00 Beavis and Butthead and Stuart
19:00 The exploding comet
23:00 Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn
27:00 Iron Maiden is Michael's fave band
33:00 Modern death metal guitars
37:00 Horror movies of the early 80s
42:00 The Berklee version of Michael
46:00 Michael prefers classical metal to the modern sludge
51:00 When a huge song is out of tune
56:00 The perfect moment for metal music
1:02:00 Strapping Young Lad 
1:06:00 Telling our bosses off for real
1:11:00 When music is trapped in your brain

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MONOLOGUE: 

Started recording an audio book for a company. They found me. They picked me. BUT, I still feel the pangs of imposter syndrome. It's weird how that works.  I sent them my first take yesterday for pacing and I was expecting to get fired. Then, I get the response and it's highly positive and affirming, which basically says that the devil on your shoulder is louder and then, I wonder why?  

Why do we give power to the negative over the positive?  Why does that happen?  Why do we do it with politics, celebrity marriages, religion?  WHY WHY WHY?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY:

In 2018 Pope Francis condemns sexual abuse. Supposedly, this is the first time it's actually ever addressed by the man at the top. I don't want to make a statement about religion/catholicism here, but I will say that the commentary sure seems late to the party. All said, at least it's a start. I'm not sure how we should address this, but it's a tough one. I didn't grow up Catholic, but I did grow up in the church and to me, it's always been one of those things that I feel ruins it for everyone. Like, so many things. Too harsh to talk about?

What about someone like Mother Theresa who sacrificed her life to serve others who couldn't serve themselves, let alone anyone else?

BIRTHDAYS:

My cousin Debby was born on this day in 1966, so happy 58th Debby!

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I'm a former professional drummer hosting challenging conversations with other artists/creatives about mental health, new music, weekly news, and spiritual truths.
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