Everybody's Doing It

So we're selling tickets hot and heavy now!! After a killer weekend in San Antonio, and San Marcos the weekend before; "A Very Metal Christmas" is alive and running!! We've also added the first band to the bill. Austin's own, "Chronolung"!! CHECK EM OUT!!

Snake Skin Prison headlined The Deadhorse in San Angelo a while back and these guys were on the bill. I personally was impressed and when the time came to start booking for VMC (that's A Very Metal Christmas for you newbies) I knew these guys would work well.

MORE bands to be announced, this party is just getting started folks...so you better save your drinking money and get your Presale tickets today. Only $10 if you pick them up from someone in the band....soon to be available online via Front Gate Tickets...and of course if you're going to be a hard ass...you can pay "day of" prices of $15.

December 17th it's going down, it's on like Saigon, I promise you this to be the biggest event Snake Skin Prison has ever been apart of, and definitely the LOUDEST Christmas Party Austin has seen \m/.




Also...Snake Skin Prison is hard at it writing new tunes, preparing to hit the studio before the end of the year (fingers crossed). If you've caught a live show recently, then you've heard some new tunage...but there's plenty more where that came from. So spread the word...get excited!! It's a great day to be a part of Snake Skin Prison...and a part of it you are!!

Top 5 Songs I listen to when it's too late to call anyone because the rest of the world is sleeping...I'm sitting there watching cigarette smoke dance against the wall and the sunlight shimmer the the trees outside my apartment
In no particular Order
"Over and Under It" - Five Finger Death Punch
"Crazy Horse I Am" - Black Label Society
"What Ya Gonna Do" - Hinder
"Fall of the Peacemakers" - Molly Hatchet
"Venus Bound" - Unknown Hinson

Live Life Like You're on Vacation!
Imma blastin off!!

MB

Good Night Austin Texas...wherever you are

Welcome Welcome my faithful blog reader!! It's been a while, since I put the pen to the paper in the form of this blog, so I figured I'd better touch base before you forgot about me!!
Things have been busy for The Rock n Roll Pain Train...let's see, we played Tulsa (first time outside of the great state of Texas), and we have also scheduled our Christmas Event, "A Very Metal Christmas"....I'm super stoked for this event, it's more than just a "show"...it's gonna be an event...of epic proportions.
Click the Poster to view the Event on Facebook Now this next part is very important...so I need you to take a minute and focus...you will see this material again!!
Tickets will be $15 the day of the show, and $12 if you order them online presale....HOWEVER...being that Snake Skin Prison is on YOUR side, we have physical pre-prints: For $10!! Save some money peeps! You can get them from myself, Keith or Marc...just shoot whoever a message and let's sell some tickets!! Now...check this out!! Let's say you're outgoing, good looking, highly popular, and just flat out a good sales person...Let's say you're a go getter that likes to show off your people skills and initiative. If this describes you, I got just the thing. If sell some tickets for SSP's "A Very Metal Christmas" then you could get the following: 1. Sell 5 Tickets and Keef will buy you a Jager Bomb
2. Sell 10 Tickets and Keef will buy your ticket and a jager bomb
3. Sell 15 or more tickets...and SSP will give you Keef...fo life

Seriously :) ... just collect the $10 each from your rocking friends, hit up someone in the band, and we'll make arrangements to make the swap. It's like a drug deal, just not illegal. There is a lot of info still to come, the lineup is being finalized as we speak, and if you know anything about Snake Skin Prison let me just say the "wheels" of creativity are turning and this will definitely be an event you don't want to miss. Check it out!! HERE Invite your friends spread the word and help make "A Very Metal Christmas" the shindiggity!!
Alright, now with all that being said, we had a great weekend in San Marcos, had a couple hurdles thrown into the mix, but when you mix good friends and bottles of booze, there's really nothing you can't overcome. For those of you that missed the debut of Knuckle Keefers Sammich, it was actually really good and totally cool. For reasons that are none of my business, KS was in need of a bass player and in my Love Juiced mind suggested they contact Keef!! So...Keefers filled in and did awesome.
We also got to pull out our newest creation, "The Place the Sun Doesn't Shine"...I'm really digging this jam, and I think the crowd was as well. We don't have any video footage of it yet, but I'll post the lyrics for ya's...


<Well the sun came down but it never come up…oh them mountains stood way too high Life is hard living above ground….but it’s harder workin down in the mine Oh…you break your back infect your lungs…pray the mountain’s mercy received Blacken your body for the hourly wage…it’s the only life you ever would live

That bright light fades the deeper you go down...the air is hard to breathe Most go in and most come out...but nothing is a guarantee

Set em up top and drill em down low…the money gets blacker with time Said their ain’t no life if their ain’t no coal…everyday your life’s on the line….

The Place the sun doesn't shine

You see a man’s gotta do what a mans gotta do…to keep his family covered and fed And if you ain’t gonna leave you get your ass underground…slap the helmet down on your head It sure ain't easy, and it sure is tough, Lord they doing it every day 12 hours in and 12 hours out, pray the mountain don't take you away

Set em up top and drill em down low…the money gets blacker with time Said their ain’t no life if their ain’t no coal…everyday your life’s on the line….

The Place the sun doesn't shine


Also, I'm excited about SSP hitting up the studio and recording some new tunes in the next couple months...a lot is about to change, I can feel it.

Come see us in San Antonio this Saturday!!



Till Next Time!
Adios!!
M 2 da B

Texas is Burning

Sometimes I sit and think up things to blog about. Sometimes I have something happen to myself, Snake Skin Prison, or someone else around me and I want to make very intelligent insight on that. Sometimes it's a premeditated blog that I've been working up for weeks, maybe months...and then there's times I sit down and write whatever literary vomit I can produce at the moment. I had intended to write this blog about being thankful for the things you have, the people around you, and the beautiful country we live in. What gave way to these thoughts and feelings would be the fact that I spent Labor Day Weekend in South Padre. Now I travel quite frequently, and most of the time it's to cool spots, like The Uproar Tour in Corpus...or Ride for Dime in Dallas...of House of Blues in Houston...or Dave Ballengee's backyard gazebo where the high life's are limitless...however there's always an agenda:
-wake up (very important)
-eat
-drink (something non-alcoholic)
-get in the vehicle
-get to the venue
-load gear
-sound check
-play show -go to merch booth
-sign stuff, shake hands, sell sell sell
-load gear
-get in the vehicle
-leave...then hopefully eat
So it's not really a vacation. However this past weekend was a VACATION!! Literally...woke up, ate breakfast, laid on the beach until lunch, ate lunch, laid by the pool until dinner, went out and destroy Padre Seafood, then back to the beach until you didn't know who you were or where you were!! Total complete relaxation that I would possibly argue I haven't felt in a very long time...


Photo - Kelly Miller

It was awesome...purely awesome and I can't wait to go back...and I will very soon....


This is what I saw when I went to sleep.....(Photo- Kelly Miller)

And then I woke up...............




And saw that...

I woke up logged into Facebook (cause that's what we all do) and that was the first image on my screen and I remember thinking, "Surely to God that isn't in America..."

Come to find out it is...not only in America...but in Texas...not only in Texas but Central Texas...Bastrop...Leander...Northern Austin...

I couldn't believe my eyes, nor thought it was "that bad" I mean shit the damn bed the picture above looks like something out of a horror/war movie...but I still thought, "is it really that bad??" I then searched and found more pictures, talked to friends and read the news...and folks it's that bad...and it's still bad.

I feel I'm a problem solver, I feel I take initiative and make moves...I mean I did move from WV to start Snake Skin Prison...with no template to follow expect Motley Crue's "The Dirt" and Martin Atkins' "Tour Smart"...so the first thing I thought was, "what can I do to help..." well the obvious reason that came to light was, "Put down the love juice and get back to Austin, make sure you have a home!!" Once I got home, I read more, checked more and there are donation spots popping up everywhere, and I think that's what is best. I think you should leave it to the professionals to their jobs (unless other wise instructed) and raid your home...remember at least you have one.

Food, clothes, water, gatorade (prolly want to leave out the liquor for now), tooth paste shampoo...things you use everyday...people have been stripped of.

I kept thinking what could I do...how could I help...then I got the invite to book Snake Skin Prison for a benefit show...

I couldn't say no...

Mad Respect for Billy Cannon's South Texas Smoke Shop for organizing this along with Dirty Dog and the many other peeps involved.... HERE is the event on FACEBOOK

ALL proceeds go to the Central Texas Wildfire Victims, they are delivering them personally.

I had intended to write this blog about being thankful for the things you have, the people around you, and the beautiful country we live in...and I think I still did...crazy how things work out.

Texas is burning people...Texas needs your help...I know that if the tables were turned...well that goes without saying....

Let's throw down Sunday night...bring whatever...anything...I know I'm bringing mine...

And I don't wanna hear the I can't's and I wish I could's...cause if you can't get to the show you can get somewhere donations are being accepted and if you can't do that you can click HERE and give $5...

TTBE

MB

Hang Em' High

Whew....well after the smoke has cleared, I think we're all here and in one piece!! What a weekend in Dallas. In case you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, let me fill you in.

Snake Skin Prison was invited to play this year's Ride for Dime. You can find out more about Ride for Dime HERE ... but in a nutshell, it's held in rememberance of one of Heavy Metal's greatest Dimebag Darrell (guitarist for Pantera, Damageplan, and Rebel Meets Rebel). It's a biker rally/charity event where proceeds go to charities that Dime approved of:

LITTLE KIDS ROCK
Ride for Dime Scholarship Fund

If you don't know who Dimebag is or anything else about him, please unsubscribe from my blog...I'm joking!! You can find out all you want about Dime HERE along with other tons of stuff on line, just by googling his name.

Okay, moving forward.

RFD 2011 was AMAZING. I don't have a negative thing to say about it. We played to a full house, played an amazing show, and had an amazing time. Got to see some old friends and meet tons of new ones...not to mention selling almost all of our merch!! I would like to personally thank Rob Eichelberger (prez of RFD) and the rest of his crew, along with Trees in Dallas for providing us with such an amazing experience.

Playing Ride for Dime and rocking that crowd the way Snake Skin Prison did only confirms what I already knew. SSP is a force that's growing by the minute...and when I say by the minute I literally mean I have to put my cell phone on silent because it will drive me crazy buzzing and singing everytime someone joins our EMAIL LIST , Friends me on Facebook, or shakes my hand at a show with a smile from ear to ear...

*side note: Did you know that my goal was 1500 emails by the end of this year and we have already busted 3k?? That's a lot of emails!!*

I'm not always as vocal about what we have going on behind the walls of SSP HQ, but I can tell you this, we are getting ready to hop into some pre-production for our new material and are looking forward to dumping that on ya like a nice big hot pile of ... well Metal!

I think I'll quit cramming that down your throat and let you see for yourself...





Jose Mangin of Sirius Radio Introducing SSP

Now this fine looking gent is my good friend Matt Martinez front man for Cowboys from Hell Paso ... kick ass dude! CHECK EM OUT

Rita Abbott (Dime's Ol Lady) was in the house taking time to grab pictures and talk with everyone...this is one strong gal folks...you better believe that!




So that's what we did this weekend...

Remember, leave nothing behind, cause nothing brings doubt -

Da Hillbilly Ninja

Vulgar Display of Sweat!

So, Satan called and wants his weather back - Facebook post I saw LOL.

But seriously..he did. I mean it's hot folks. It's been over 100 degrees for like 3 months. When I moved down here, I recall hearing people say, "You get used to the heat." Well, to those non-Texans out there, let me tell you, you don't get used to the heat you get used to being hot. Just like if you were to cut your arm off, you wouldn't get used to not having an arm, you'd get used to working without that arm. Wait does that make sense...I think my brain is fried...sorry.

Moving on...

Last night, I want to say in the midst of the heat and the sweat, was a very much needed breeze of relief in this rock n roll heart of mine. Among the days of bullshit bands, bullshit music, bullshit radio...last night proved to me one thing...and I'm about to tell you about it.

I remember once in conversation with Paul Bassman, former Damageplan/Drowning Pool manager, he said, "Matt at the end of the day, the cream will rise to the top." He was referring to music, and regardless of gimmicks, marketing ploys, advertising stunts, parent's money...all that crapola is great and extremely helpful, but as my mother would say, "The PROOF is in the pudding"

Last night, I went to check out Volbeat @ Emo's. It was outside, it was 107 degrees, and Lonestar Tall Boys were $3. I was expecting uhmmmm...30-50 people...maybe 100...and what did I get?



A shit ton of peeps...ON A TUESDAY!!

"So Matt...why does this provide you with a breeze of relief???"

Cause...that showed me that Metal is alive! Metal is here and not going away. I was happy to see Austin supporting Volbeat, from Denmark, a touring band. I was just telling someone, "Man I bet they get here and have shit crowds compared to playing overseas..." and what happens?? Austin slaps me in the mouth with an ice cold Lonestar and says...'FEEL THE METAL!'" LOL...

I was very proud of My Music Scene showing up and supporting. Hell yeah!

It was an awesome show, no fancy lights, no go-go dancers, just straight up metal. Plain and simple. I also had a good friend tell me, "If there are 20 doors, and you continually knock, eventually one of those doors will open." and my football coach, Donnie J said, "If you play hard you make your own luck." I know I've said that before and I'm sure I'll say it again. But the point I'm making is, the music will make or break you, regardless...however I suppose that's why they call it the 'music industry'.

Of course what would I know?? I'm just a geetar picker from WV...


(our crowd from Red Eyed Fly last weekend)

So I guess what I'm saying is...."Hey Bullshit Music and Musicians...you might want to check your rearview...cause there's about to be some Metal up your A$$"

When Nikki Sixx was asked about the resurgence of Motley Crue, he said, "The Music never left...you did...now you're coming back."

Or in the words of our man Big Vin (who was @ Emo's last night)



1....2...Barbecue


Adios Amigos!

MB

Pay Through the Nose

To Pay or not to Pay...that is the question.

I have seen some recent posts on this, as well as been approached by several different promoters and venues about "Paying to Play"

I personally like to think I'm an open minded individual. I think I'm pretty level-headed, that is unless I've been at Red Eyed Fly pounding Love Juice, then I'm pretty water-headed. I try to look at both sides of the coin, and imagine myself on the other side of the table. Often times I try not to make a rash decision and get the counsel of those around me of whom I admire and respect their opinion. Taking all that into account, I then make the decision and hope for the best. I do this in both my personal and professional lives...including Snake Skin Prison.

So here's what I think about paying to play a particular venue and/show:

-If you are a brand new band, and looking to get out there, and an opportunity comes along to play a big show...then sure...what quicker way to gather the troops then to drop some cashola and take a chance at a big audience

-I think if you're playing as a hobby you'll play for free...but not pay to play

-I think if you're playing as a business...uh...well the last time I got my oil changed at Pep Boys the didn't pay me...I paid them for their services.

-As for the venues charging to pay...well this again is where I would say, that's a double edged sword. Bringing in a big headliner, then charging the bands to open for them, makes perfect business sense. However, as a musician, I have to question the quality of show you're delivering your audience.

EX: "Just released: Metallica reunites with Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine...this show is going to happen only once...and on MARS!! with special opening guests:
-Tha Shithouse Boys
-Dickhead and the Spermy's
-Diamond Crusted Terd Swappers
-They Rapin Evurbody Up in Hur!
...and 28 other no name shit bands whose parents have money to buy their way in...hence the Rebecca Blacks and Justin Beibers flooding the music channels that were once dominated by real musicians who play real music without the aid of stealing…or sampling…from other musicians and/or machines!!!!

So...again there are 2 sides of the coin here....Donald Trump would say, "EFF it, we're making money and that's all that matters in the world...."

However...Sharon Osbourne would say, "Eff that...we can make money and put together a KILLER Line up...people will pay for good music!!" (hence the success of Ozzfest for the past how many years???...15…)

As a venue you have to ask yourself, are you doing this for money?? Or are you doing this cause you love music and you love the people and you love giving them what they want and want to make money??

That's just my thoughts...

Has Snake Skin Prison paid to play??? yes...years ago when we had 6 songs and Keef had short hair.
Will Snake Skin Prison pay to play now??? yes...if currency is Straight Up Southern Metal!! LOL....if you're talking our hard earned green backs...no...we will not pay to play.

Now...how/and how much should a venue pay a band...whew lawdy...that's a whole other monster. Stay Tuned for that one!

Come check out Snake Skin Prison's next Austin show!!


NEW MERCH
NEW SONGS
SAME 3 COOL CATS

Me, My Book and I

Hola from the land of plenty...plenty of time to write you! I must admit it's been a while since my last blog. This blog operates via Google, therefore I sign in with my Gmail account. Well my Gmail account got hacked and they disabled it. So I couldn't sign into my blog. I thought, "Great Scott!! What if I have to start over...all that knowledge lost!" Luckily for you loyal reader, that didn't happen :).

So what's up...well let's see. Snake Skin Prison literally eff'd Dirty Dog last Saturday during ROT Rally. Bikes, Babes, Boobs, and Booze! What else is there? Well, maybe Bologna?? We played a 2 hour set, got to play some songs that we haven't played in a while and had a lot of fun!! Thank you all that came out!



You might notice we are spreading out our dates...well there's some serious Shizzle about to go down in the land of SSP. Good shizzle and I can't wait to tell you about it, but until then...just keep that head banging and that fist in the air.

Our next Austin show is July 30 @ Red Eyed Fly:



That is probably one of Austin's most powerful line-ups. Ayufa!!

Have you supported SSP lately? Need a reason?? Wanna be the talk of the room when you walk into a party...and not because you're drinking Wild Irish Rose???



Getcha one of those babies....email: matt@snakeskinprison.com for more info!!

So...you might be scratchin your noggin thinking, so what's up with the title of the blog?? "Me, My Book, and I" well...allow me to tell you faithful follower :).

I read biographies and autobiographies as much as I can. It's like going to Rock N Roll School...listening to professors teach from experience and real life happenings. I just got a Kindle for my bday and I love the ayufa outta it! I have since read:

-Sammy Hagar
-Vince Neil
-Dave Mustaine

So in a little over 30 days I have read 3 of them :). As reading these books, one thing dawned on me. They have all written AFTER the fact. Meaning, they are very confident and it's very easy to say some things, when you're sitting in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. So I thought...what if I wrote a book...before hand.

Ya know, no one knows the future of SSP and we don't know if this band is going to grow into a national/international threat or not. I want it too, however after reading these books it looks like things might be better if it doesn't LOL.

And if nothing else, it will be fun to look back on it and remember the times. Cause regardless of how far this band goes, I've already achieved more than I ever expected. This band has done some pretty awesome things, and there's many more to come, you can bank on that. These are some exciting times and when better to write about something, then as it's happening!!

From time to time, I may leak parts here or there, just to keep it interesting, but right now I'll leave you with the title:

Matt Ballengee

All Aboard the Rock n Roll Pain Train


Long Live the Serpent King