Now that my post about dummy amps being used at metal shows has blown up on the internet and Machine Head responded to the post, I guess it's my turn to respond to them.

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I wrote a post on Monday about the big deal people were making for the Black Veil Brides using fake amps while on stage at Warped Tour. The drummer for The Bronx (who will be here for the Texas Tattoo Showdown next weekend, just FYI), posted the photo of the fake amps and the story took off online. People were outraged, while others --  including some bands -- defended the Black Veil Brides, saying this is common practice with live shows.

Dating all the way back to the 1970s, bands have used this method because it looks impressive as hell to have a bunch of amps onstage. With the amount of power most amps put out, you don't need that many because everything is mic'd and amplified through the PA. It's just a show thing. A lot of bands are using Axe-FX or other amp modeling devices. Some bands use real amps and just make them louder through the PA. Which is the same thing Machine Head said in their response:

While it seems absurd that El Paso, Texas based radio station 95.5 FM, KLAQ Official would choose to go through the effort to post this on their website, we guess in-light of the big hub-bub about Black Veil Brides getting "called out" by the drummer for The Bronx for having "fake cabs" on the Warped tour earlier this month, some "brain-donor" over at the station has decided to drop the "newsflash of the century" and "call out" Machine Head for having "fake amps" too! A practice that for over 40 years now has been common-place in rock 'n roll going back to the days of Van Halen and AC/DC.

Here is what Machine Head had to say about the post:

Machine Head Response on Fake Amps - Click to Enlarge
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To be perfectly honest, I don't think they even read my original post. NOTHING in that post said anything negative toward their band or even toward their use of the amps. I like Machine Head and was very happy to get to see them this past weekend at the concert. If they didn't read the post, I understand. They're busy on tour and probably aren't able to read every article that people write about them. I do wish they had read the article from top to bottom, seeing at the end where I state:

"Is this even a big deal anymore? I don't think so but comment below and let me know what you think."

So to Machine Head, I'm sorry if you thought the previous post was at all negative toward you or your stage performance. In no way was it. But what was the point when you sarcastically called me a "grizzled 24 year old heavy metal veteran?"

Quick history lesson for grizzled 24 year-old heavy metal veteran Lisa Sanchez: Since the dawn of heavy music, bands have used dummy cabinets as part of an often-impressive looking stage design. When Slayer played the Mayhem Festival last year and had 2 giant upside-down crosses made out of Marshall cabinets, that lit on fire, guess what? They weren't all plugged in!

At one point weren't you 24, a fan of other metal bands, getting your start in this industry? I've seen many shows where bands like Five Finger Death Punch pull a young boy or girl out of the crowd and have them flash the horns to show what the future of rock looks like. I may be young, but I'm still a fan, trying to get people to appreciate and love rock music the way I do. And one day it will be the "veterans" like me, who will be telling new twenty-somethings about how awesome you were when we saw you in concert and how you influenced our lives. Like the way you Robb, talk about Alice in Chains and the "Dirt" album. How that album influenced early Machine Head.

Was the title controversial? Yes, but it was made for people to read, think what the hell?, then click on the post to see what it really says on the inside. Instead, I think a lot of people ended up just reading the title and making their own assumptions. So this is my response and Machine Head fans can like it or not. But next time, I simply ask that people READ THE ARTICLE DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS! That is all.

Read my original article here. Read Machine Head's full response here.

 

 

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