If you can see this, then your DNS has updated, and you’re looking at beMETAL.com at its new home!

Give yourself a pat on the back.

I’ve been meaning to make a post on this for a few weeks now. In case you haven’t heard about this monumental event, Ballet Deviare, a ballet company in New York City, will be performing various shows set to … you guessed it … METAL!

The most interesting of which is “SEVEN“, incorporating music from Opeth, My Dying Bride, as well as a live performance by Arsis (A Diamond for Disease, written specifically for this event, which I talked about before). There are 3 show dates, January 6th at 8:00pm, 7th at 8:00pm, and 8th at 2:00pm, at 59E59 THEATERS.

Personally, I think this is fucking awesome! I’ve never been interested in ballet, but I would definitely make an exception for this. Unfortunately, I see no way for me to be able to make it to either of these 3 performances. I really hope that they decide to make a DVD of this or something.

If you’re like me and you can’t attend either, but you still want to support the show, t-shirts are available here (or here for international orders). I put mine in for this one. According to the site, all proceeds go to the production costs of SEVEN. You have to order quick though, they’re only taking orders through this Friday! You can find other ways to support the company here.

So now we have ballet and METAL combined… what’s next? How about thrash metal figure skating! Or maybe grind metal line dancing?

The possibilities are clearly endless.

Here’s some information on Jim Malone, the mastermind behind Arsis:

Jim attended The Christopher Newport University, where he studied music composition with composer, Aldo Forte. While in school, Mr. Malone Composed a three-movement work for string quartet entitled, The Rose White. Mr. Malone also attended The Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA as a scholarship student, where he was required to create and perform original composition. During his time in college, James co-founded the melodic death metal band Arsis, which has received critical acclaim throughout the underground world of extreme music. Recent reviews of the band are helping to get James’s talent as a composer recognized. Jim composed A Diamond for Disease and will be performing the music for the featured work in Ballet Deviare’s production of SEVEN entitled, Tempest.

Here is an overview of Ballet Deviare:

Incorporated in November of 2003, Ballet Deviare is a non-profit contemporary ballet company residing in New York City. Ballet Deviare’s mission is prompted by the fundamental desire to advance and preserve ballet as a high art form by diversifying its ballet repertoire. One of the most important factors in attaining this mission is through the expansion of ballet audiences. Ballet Deviare strives to reach a vast audience ranging from balletomanes to those who have never been exposed to the art of ballet. Deviating from what is expected within the norm of ballet companies (which is how the name of the company came into being), Ballet Deviare has harnessed an eclectic audience ranging from dance connoisseurs to those individuals who have never attended a ballet performance.

It was a year ago today that Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage at a nightclub in Ohio.

I have a few things to say, but I’ll save it for this week’s TEL, which will be a tribute to Dimebag and everything he was involved in.

Speaking of tributes, Headbanger’s Ball this week will be dedicated to Dimebag’s memory. Read about it here.

Interested in making your own music podcast? Or maybe you’re just curious about how much work goes into making one? Well wonder no more, for I have created what I think is the first tutorial ever on how to make a music podcast using Audacity!

If people are interested, I might make more guides like this on how the whole podcasting process works.

Well, at least according to Heather Smith of Century Media. This is actually a pretty old interview, from June, but I found it interesting:

As part of the music business, what is your take on the whole Internet downloading thing?

I have a real opinion on this. Our sales are up - way up. Last year they rose 55%; the year before that, 20%; and the year before that, 20%. Why!? If downloading hurts everybody so badly, then why are sales actually up? - Quality of music! If you are Britney Spears or Snoop Dog or Eminem, and somebody can listen to your whole album before they have to buy it, would they buy it? No, because the music isn’t quality. However, if you are MERCENARY or DIMMU BORGIR, and someone downloads your whole album - gets in their car and blasts it - are they doing to say, “Damn! I have to have this! I want to read the lyrics and I want to see the artwork.” They’re going to go buy it! So, if you’re a major label, and you’ve signed a real safe artist who has two good songs on their album, and kids can download the whole album and decide that it isn’t good music, and that they’re not going to bother buying it, then they just don’t bother buying it. But if they can download a great SHADOWS FALL or DIMMU BORGIR or HYPOCRISY or SOILWORK album, they usually go out and BUY that album because they’ve tried it out and they’ve decided, “You know what? This is really good and I have to have this.” And our sales prove that theory. I mean, if METALLICA want to cry that “St. Anger” was downloaded and that’s why it didn’t sell, all you really need to do is go put that album on (laughs).

(Laughs)

I mean, you put ORPHANED LAND’s album on (”Mabool”) and if you like progressive power metal, you want that album, and you want to own it. You want to own the artwork. I mean, go back to the time when you were 15 or 16 and starting to collect all this stuff and you would get cassette tapes from your friends. I still have a cassette tape of RUSH - 2112 still. Did I go out and buy the album? Yes. Did I keep the cassette copy that my friend made me? Yes. So if those are the answers that you have in your head, then that’s probably the same way kids feel about CDRs and CDs. I mean a CDR is a pauper version of the whole album and I think that kids know the difference. I mean, I knew the difference. It’s just a copy. And you don’t have the artwork and you can’t read the lyrics. I remember writing out the lyrics to the whole “Wish You Were Here” album (PINK FLOYD), because I knew that album so well. I still read lyrics from albums I really care about - MERCENARY, NAPALM DEATH lyrics, just because he’s got a lot to say. The new SENTENCED album (”The Funeral Album”) - there’s one album that describes my own truth with depression so well that I had to talk to them about that. “Her Last 5 Minutes” is pretty depressing. Depression is a huge problem in this world and it should be addressed and people should know that it’s okay. The more people know that they’re not alone with it, the more they might reach out for help.

Read the full interview at Metaleater.com.