The One Man Party

The biggest party of the year…

That statement, when said seriously…and with Meaning can turn some heads.  I myself, have been to plenty of parties.  I love parties…like before I even sampled the demon spirited Alcohol, I loved parties.  When I was younger, my sister would beg my mom to make ME stay for her parties…why?  Cause I love parties…that’s why!  I’m trying to think of the biggest party I’ve ever been to…like not counting a Spring Break or anything like that.  Hmmm….I attended some parties in college that were pretty epic…yeah…those were probably the biggest back in those days.  I’m talking real deal Holyfield Parties…the kind’ve parties that those jokers on “Buckwild” would probably turn around and go home wearing their dinner on their shirts…type of parties!!  So, with all that said, I would like to say, that I’m somewhat of a “Party Expert”.  I have logged the time and experience, been the inviter and the invitee.  If someone were to walk into Pawn Stars and say, “I have this 1998, Senior Week, Myrtle Beach SC party…how much do you think it’s worth?”  Chumlee would say, “Hmmm, we have an expert in this field, let me call in Matt Ballengee, he knows all there is to know about parties.”  LOL ßthat just made me laugh.

When people post, “The biggest party of the year!!” or “The Biggest show of 2012!!”  (yes I know I’m guilty of that also…) I think… “Pshtttt…you don’t know party son…I’ll tell ya about a party.  I’ll tell ya about a party where the land lord was a pastor and called up at 2am to not only tell us to turn down the music, but did so by taking the Lord’s Name in vain…a Pastor!!”  (I’m not condoning that btw).  So, often times those “postings” on Facebook that start out, “The biggest party…” often times get lost in the information highway just like a bill board that says, “did advertising work…just did…”  that’s great, I did see it…but more like was gazing at it while trying to decide between Taco Bell or Subway. 

I told ya that to tell you this…with all my experience and expert knowledge…I would be willing to say…there is a Party going down.  And a BIG party at that.  It’s on March 12 BEFORE SXSW kicks off.  It’s before all the wrist band, hipster, skinny jeans, clowns take over…well actually they have already taken over, but you catch my drift.  This party is taking place at Red Eyed Fly on March 12.  Snake Skin Prison was a part of this bad boy last year, and they were turning people away at the door.  I’m not lying…I was there.  A lot of you were there too…maybe some of you were not.  But this year is probably, arguably the BEST Austin TX has to offer in the vein of Rock/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal.  I would take that to the bank…or as us rednecks say, “I’d bet the farm on that one…”

Here’s the info on the party!!  Make sure you RSVP through Do512!!  Cause when you do…a hipster trips and skins their knee through their skinny jeans…and because the 1,576 people that have...can't be wrong!

Ya’ll come back now…ya HEAR!

dMb

Hear the shot heard around the world!!

I remember when I moved to Austin in 2006, I had one thing on my agenda…world domination.  I remember when people would ask me what my “end game” was…and the response was always the same... “World Domination” … anything less would be considered failure.  Talk about young…dumb…and full of…uhm…spunk!  I’ve learned a lot in the past 6/7 years.  I’ve learned that maybe it’s not a good idea to drink an entire case of Lone Star before you go on stage in San Angelo.  I’ve learned that it’s not a good idea to finish your set, take 5 jager bombs, only to learn you’re the only band, and it’s not the end of your set…just the beginning!!  I’ve learned it’s not a good idea to go to Shady Grove, eat their Catfish Platter, drink 3 Margo’s, then go to Dirty Dog and walk straight on stage!!  I’ve learned a lot, and as my dad says, “If you’e gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough!”  

Another thing I’ve learned, is maybe the world isn’t exactly worth dominating.  Maybe..just maybe, instead of focusing on “making it big” or “taking over the opposition” if one could take a gander around…they might realize…depending on who’s keeping score…maybe you’ve already made it big.  Did that just blow your mind or what??  J  I’m a firm believer in the Goal system:  Set a Long Term Goal, then chop it up into Short Term Goals that will help you accomplish it.  However, you must remember, sometimes life is about the ride not the destination.  Sometimes we get so caught up in what’s going to happen, we’re not focusing on what IS happening, only to wake up one day and realize we missed it all!!  In the words of a very wise man, “Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses, just don’t linger too long or you’ll get stung by a bee!”

Typically I write about Snake Skin Prison and things going on in my personal life as well.  Typically my personal life is Snake Skin Prison…the end.  However, this past Tuesday my whole ball game changed!!  At 1206p on Tuesday, 1/29/13, I heard a scream that would rival that of Vince Neil, Zakk Wylde, or Ronnie James Dio!!   On that day Kelly and myself welcomed our daughter, Samantha Rose Ballengee.  I looked at Kelly and said, “Babe, we’re a long way from the Alcohol of Fame..huh?” J .  It’s truly an amazing experience and even though I’m a man of many words both appropriate and not, I cannot describe it!!  I will say I’m glad I’m a guy…I’d much rather to the poking then the pushing!! 

Come celebrate with me this Friday night at Red Eyed Fly!!  Snake Skin Prison will be double fistin’ it with Broken Teeth, Crimson Devils, and Panhandle TX.  It’s gonna be a blast on all accounts!!  SSP Will be giving away 2 guest list spots and 2 copies of the new EP, “Smokin Whiskey” all you gotta do is RSVP (Going) to the event on Facebook!!  Click the show poster below to do so!!!! 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP (GOING) ON FACEBOOK

Some people say, “So after being here for this long, pumping and pushing this band…are you getting tired of the hustle?”

My response:  “The reason a bulldog’s nose is slanted backwards…so he can breathe without letting go!!” 

I’m just getting started!

Friday…Come ON!

dMb

Come and Take It...If you can!!

I had never heard that statement before in my entire life..."Come and Take It" until I moved to Texas.  I saw it on flags, shirts, bumper stickers, buildings, tattoos...and I thought, "Come and take what?"

So naturally I did what I always do when I don't know shit about shinolah....I google it!  Upon Google'ing the phrase "Come and Take It" I ran into another ol' online pal of mine...Wikipedia...well hell, if it's on Wikipedia it must be true!!!  Wikipedia said so!!

You can check HERE if you like, but basically here's the gist:

"Come and take it" is an American patriotic slogan most notably used in 1778 at Fort Morris in Georgia during the American Revolution, and later in 1835 during the Texas Revolution. The phrase is similar to Molon labe, which is a classical expression of defiance reportedly spoken by King Leonidas I in response to the Persian army's demand that the Spartans surrender their weapons at the Battle of Thermopylae.

Remember that movie, 300??  The one that made every male look at their gut and wince with shame??  Well yeah, that's where it started, when the Persians were demanding...well you can read above...

So it's not "just" a Texas thing, but brought to my attention by Texas and even more important than that, extremely huge in Texas history.  So with all that being said, I thought, "Well slap my ass and call me Gonzo, that there needs to be put in a song!"  The seeds had been planted, the idea was starting to form. 

I view "Come and Take It" as statement from SSP to the world about our Music, about our Love, about our Desire...Discipline...and flat out pure Determination to succeed.  When everyone else decides to go home, when everyone else is tired and wants to quit...there's good ol' Snake Skin Prison...slugging away at the man!  

Or so I like to think anyways!!  LOL 

We just released our new EP, "Smokin Whiskey" at Red Eyed Fly and had a blast, you can check out Pictures here!!  and here!!  

Also, "Smokin Whiskey" was released digitally on Oct 30, so be sure to check it out HERE on iTunes!!

The future is bright for Snake Skin Prison!!  That's for sure, it's exciting times to be the hardest working band in Texas!  

FIRE IT UP...LET'S BURN ONE DOWN

WE'LL FLOOD THE STREETS OF THIS WHOLE DAMN TOWN

WIND EM UP TIGHT...AND WATCH THEM GO

BY THE TIME WE'RE DONE...THAT WHOLE WORLD'S GONNA KNOW

YOU'LL HAVE TO PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS

AND I'LL PROTECT IT LIKE THE PROMISED LAND

YOU CHOOSE TO SIT...I'M GONNA STAND

WHAT'S MINE IS MINE, AND WHAT'S YOURS I'M COMING TO..

TAKE ME AS I AM...SOMETIMES THE TRUTH CAN HURT A MAN

IT AIN'T HARD TO UNDERSTAND...SO COME AND TAKE IT...IF YOU CAN

STAND WITH ME...YOUR FIST IN THE AIR

I'M WAGING WAR...ON THAT COLD DEAD STARE

YOU WANT SOMETHING...SO BAD YOU CAN TASTE IT

DON'T WAIT FOR IT...NO YOU COME AND TAKE IT

PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS

CHORUSX2

When We Leave...

..We leave you beggin more...knock down...drop dead...drunk on the floor....Oh No...this ain't the last time...Smokin' Whiskey...and Drinking Cheap WINE!!"

Man...sometimes I look at my lyrics and think, "Matthew, it doesn't get more philosophical then that!"  LOL. Sometimes words just come, and it's my job to write then down...not to question where they are coming from and/or where they are going.  Mostly with me, creativity is like a faucet...when it's on it's on, and you better not stop it...but when it won't turn on, just leave it alone and come back to it.  Kind've like a woman :).

Anyways, moving forward, the LINEUP is completed for Oct 27!!  There's some killer bands on this baby, and it's gonna be a blast right up your...well ... you catch my drift.  So, check these guys out, if know that if I like em, then chances are you are gonna like em...cause we like a lot of the same things...like oxygen, free money, low gas prices, tow trucks with flat tires :) ...

Starting off the night will be See You in the Morning , they are from San Marcos...dig it!  Next up will be Austin's Critical Assembly, SSP shared the stage with these dudes at Texas Independence Festival last year.  

Main support for the almighty Snake Skin is The Heroine from San Antonio.

If you've been keeping up, and if you're here then I hope you have, you'll notice that not one SSP show is alike.  We always try to bring you something different, from our own set to the bands we surround ourselves with.  This will be an epic night for sure, I personally have been looking forward to it for months!!

Oh yeah, and I can't wait for you guys to see the EP Cover Artwork!!  It's the kitties titties on tha realzy!!

As always, with respect to you all, Austin the Dog decided to stand behind the picture, he is spellbound with excitement to find out...you should be too!!  We'll be revealing this bad boy...and when I say bad I mean Texas Twister running through a Hillbilly Trailer Court bad...at the EP release!!  

If you haven't gotten your tickets, you can email me HERE or just grab them up online, have them waiting for you at will call HERE

Mark your calendars, it's time to flood the streets again!!  Snake Skin Prison only plays Austin about 3 times a year so let's make this one count!!  

Make sure to RSVP to the EVENT ON FACEBOOK!!

Yee Haw!

MB

Over The Mountain!!

When I moved to Austin I had no idea...and when I say no idea, I mean no idea!!  I knew how to play guitar (some would argue with that!), I knew that I could somewhat sing (listening to the likes of Lemmy, Dave Mustaine, and latter day Phil Anselmo gave me hope!), but one thing I did not know...how to give up.

Goonies never say die!! Remember that??  Same principle.  It's amazing to me, the "Sink or Swim" theory.  I truly am a product of that while conducting this roller coaster of a train we call Snake Skin Prison!!  I had no intention of playing lead guitar, yet...when we were standing there with only myself on guitar, I had no choice but to play lead guitar!  I had no idea how to book a gig, yet when it came time to play shows, I started booking gigs (and some dandy ones too...ask Marc and Keith about the TRASH bar...seriously that was the name). I had no idea about contacting radio personalities, but when it came time...we were able to debut our first album..."Get Bit!!" with Loris Lowe on 93.7 KLBJ!!  The point I'm making is ... you don't sit around and make excuses, say "I CAN'T"....I've said it a million times and I'll say it again...only difference between winners and losers is...winners do...losers don't. Period.

So...when it came to designing graphics...oh man, talk about finger painting 101.  I am proud of how far I myself have come in designing posters, and other graphic work, however when you get to the big leagues you sit back and pay the professionals and let them do what they do!

I'm super excited to reveal the EP Artwork, and that is just what it is...Artwork!!  We're ironing out the details, but I have seen it and it's PIMPIN!!  Perfect visual display of what we're gunning for here at SSP HQ!!!  So keep your ears to the ground...cause you're gonna wanna see this!! We'll be debuting either right before or the night of the actual Release!!

PRE-SALE TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE!! 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!!

You buy the whole chair but only need the edge!

Till Next Time!

MB

Never Get Out of this World Alive!!!

Things are heating up as we get closer to that fateful day!!  October 27, the Release of SSP's newest body of work the EP: Smokin Whiskey!! Gonna be the kitties titties if you're picking up what I'm laying down!  This has been a long and winding road for SSP in the year of 2012...that my friends I can assure you!!

(Harp music as the picture fades and we do a classic time travel back to the days gone by...)

I met Matt Noveskey in Dec of 2011, we had a sit down, talked about music and then about the future of SSP.  I actually DID know of Matt Noveskey, however if you do not, he's the bass player for a little band called "Blue October".  He's done a ton of other things and has a ton of irons in the musical fire so to speak.  Google him...he's around LOL.  Matt hooked up with us at the Music Lab, we jammed some tunes, and talked about the new material, made some plans and BAM we're of to the studio.  We recorded at Test Tube Audio in South Austin, with Kevin Butler and in classic SSP fashion like a thief in the night we came and were gone, with nothing left but some empty liquor bottles and smoldering cigarettes.

Jump ahead a couple weeks and we're playing the first annual "Very Metal Christmas" and among the 300+ people there, was one that I've had the pleasure of getting to know...Mr. John Moyer.  John, like Matt N., has been around the block...and around again...plenty of times.  He's played bass in SOAK, Union Underground, Disturbed, and now Adrenaline Mob...yeah I said Disturbed...one of the biggest metal bands of all time!!  No need to say much more about that...Google him...he's there :).

The heavy Southern metal gods aligned, John and Matt N. put their wits together and spoke with the SSP camp...HAWT Dog if we weren't back in the studio working with Matt Noveskey and John Moyer two of the most respected bass players in the industry...it's times like these I'm glad I'm not Keith!

We worked out one final song, added it to the EP and off it went to Sterling Winfield for mixing and Maor Applebaum for mastering.  I could spit our their discographies, but I got rehearsal tonight, so plug their names into your favorite search engine and you'll find them just fine.

We've been playing these tunes out live, we always like to do that cause at the end of the day, the PEEPS are the shot callers, they decide what they want, then we give it to em like a nice big heapin helpin of southern country fried steak slathered in moonshine gravy.  

We're super excited to be releasing this EP...titled..."Smokin Whiskey" at the end of this month at Red Eyed Fly...our home field!!!  We have a killer line up in the works featuring SOAK (that's right...you might have seen this name earlier...) and The Heroine (from San Antonio) and plenty of good stuff for that ass...lights, cameras....and plenty of ACTION!!

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, don't hesitate...pull that trigger...you can get them online HERE and have them waiting for you at the door....IF you've ever been to an SSP show, you know it's just one big party, with SSP leading the charge on stage...IF you've NEVER been to an SSP show, well this is it...a years worth of hard work and dedication will come spewing out on stage that fateful Saturday Night in October.  The night they'll remember as the night Austin actually drowned...drowned in hoops, hollers, high life, and HARD Hitting mayhem...from an insanely energized crowd supporting Austin's hardest working band...doing what we do best...

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE!

More info to come as we get closer!! 

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK

-No matter how hard we struggle or strife, we'll never get out of this world alive!

\m/ MB \m/

Back in the SADDLE AGAIN!!

Hey Hey Hey!!  And this whole time you guys thought I was a goner!!  I will admit, the last several months of my life, along with SSP has been quite the train/roller coaster ride...imagine that:  A Train on a Roller Coaster...of Love (Juice)...now that sounds like a party.

I digress, I have SOOOOO much to tell you about what's been going on with Snake Skin Prison...what's happening in the near future with Snake Skin Prison...and tons of other stuff that I'm sure will sit in your brain far longer than your passwords, home work lessons, and facebook friends' updates!!

So...hang in there, the main thing right now is the EP Release!!  It's about DAMN time!!  SSP has been working on this EP for a while, but hey...Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was Keith's Camo Pants Collection!!!

You can view the event on FACEBOOK HERE
You can purchase PRESALE TICKETS HERE
And you can follow us on FACEBOOK HERE & HERE

It's going to be a night to remember and a party in the streets!!  Our last show at Red Eye Fly pulled over 300 party animals and we expect this to be bigger and better than ever!!

We here at the SSP HQ are so Hawt Dammed Excited for you to hear these tunes we can cook a Hawg's Ass in a spoonful!!!  Share this blog with your friends, this is where it goes down!!!

There's plenty more where that came from!!  Stay tuned boys and girls....YEE HAW!!

-Straight from the Horse's Mouth-
MB