Meet your 2011 Battle of the Bands contestants

BY NICOLE KARIS-REYESThe end is near! Well, almost. The Funcoast.com Ohio Bike Week Battle of the Bands 2011 is fast approaching. The top five bands, as chosen by YOU, will battle it out in a live performance at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 3 at the Easyriders Saloon in the Erie County Fairgrounds. Before we slide into rock armageddon, we figured we'd break down the list of contestants. Have you ever wondered what your favorite band is really like? Wouldn't you just love to know more about the faces behind the instruments and mic stands? Here's your chance. We asked each band to answer four fun questions. Their answers shifted from informative musicianship to comedy and sentimental memories, so sit back and enjoy! (By the way, if you haven't voted yet, head over to our Battle of the Bands voting page now. There, you'll find band bios, songs and more. Added bonus: if you vote, you'll automatically be entered to win an Ohio Bike Week All-Access pass, which is valued at $100.) My Dude's BandName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? We all kind of idolize different people. I think collectively, it would be a good thing to meet the one and only Bob Dylan and have a nice kosher meal with the guy and talk about whatever comes up. Maybe some of his genius (would) rub off on us. I'd probably ask him if he could write us a song. The funny thing is, he could probably write it in three minutes. It would be a smash hit! Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? If we did have a secret, we couldn't tell you! Secrets come out when a bottle of Canadian Windsor is involved. Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? Someone asked me to play "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner. Nothing against Miss Turner and her sexy legs, but we just can't do it. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? I think we've realized that the more we focus on our performance, the worse it gets! So we just don't think anymore. We gotta just let it happen. By the hook of our first song, I think we got it and it just gets better from there. A little shooter of "liquid courage" (aka 80-proof beverage) never hurts either. RiptideName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? Well, I don't really idolize anyone, but…I guess I'd go with Keith Richards, since he would cover your whole question (living or dead). I wouldn't ask him any questions, since I'd never be able to understand his answers anyway. Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? Don't tell anyone, but the crew at Hot Topic likes Riptide more than they like Taking Back Sunday. Sorry, Eddie… Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? I wish! I'm totally into that stuff…no wait, musically? By "weird," if you mean asking a surf band to play Pour Some Sugar on Me, then YES. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? Have a good time, all the time. That's our motto. And it's good luck when everyone shows up for the gig on time. Or at all… Love Turns Hate Name a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? Steven Tyler. Steve…dude…American Idol? What in the hell were you thinking? Then we would proceed to shoot the shiiioot about all of his incredible rock and roll stories over good drink and eats, followed by a jam of all jam sessions! Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? If I told ya…it wouldn't be a secret now, would it? I can't say we have any secrets. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, networking our a**es off and virtually sharing pretty much everything with our people, in song and in life. Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? You don't have enough space and time for all the strange requests we get. I guess I'd have to say our most common request is, "Dude, will ya play a private party? How much?" It just strikes me as funny, not so much as strange. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? Generally pre-gig for me is a shot of tequila or two (depending on the gig) and a Redbull or two (depending on the gig the night before) and then a band/crew circle — ALL HANDS IN! I have a black scarf of my mother's on my mic stand. I lost her to cancer 8/9/10. It inspires me to kick major butt. I guess I would definitely consider that my lucky charm. Sinful DesireName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them?Slade: John Lennon, and (I) would ask why in the hell he let Yoko in the studio while the Beatles were recording. Jerry: Billy Idol, and I would tell him to get off the radio, because you're awesome. Mark: Duff McKAgen, and (I) would ask him where he buys his pants. Finally, Darcy would eat with Steve Clark and she would tell him that she loves his hair. Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? If we tell you it won't be a secret. Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? Jerry always wants to play Blister in the Sun, but everyone else agreed that the drunk a**hole that yells, "Freebird!" or the friend of ours that yells out, "Play some Creed!" Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? Skitch always wears a leopard-print satin thong, but everyone else likes beer before a gig, after a gig and also during a gig. L.O.M.Name a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? A.J. would like to dine with Lady GaGa and ask her if Marilyn Manson is her dad. Jimmy would like to dine with Geddy Lee and just hang with the best bass player ever (must be a bassist thing). Wes would like to dine with Sammy Hagar. Why can't he drive 55? Donnie would dine with Jerry Garcia and ask, "How do you hold that pick without a middle finger?" Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? Wes is actually the oldest member of the band. He has the same medical syndrome as Benjamin Button and he looks younger as he gets older. Donnie is always asked, "What does L.O.M. stand for?" They even had a contest at the Willard Elks and there were some interesting answers: Lonely Old Men, Lazy Old Men, Leader of Men. The real answer is (that) L.O.M. stands for Love of Music — (that's) why we do what we do! Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"…after a party for a girl's softball team. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? Pre-gig, everyone does a shot of tequila. After gigs, we look for the drummer's shoes. We say our prayers to the god of metal, Ronnie James Dio. Liquid CourageName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them?Vinnie Rock: Jim Morrison, "Let's crack a bottle of Jack and have some fun!" Johnny Rock: Peter Criss, "You are the reason I play drums. I heard Destroyer when I was 10 years old and was hooked." Richard Mitchell: Zakk Wylde. I would give him a hug and say "Bleed Black Label!" Starla Rock: Wendy Williams of the Plasmatics. I'd say, "You are the toughest woman I have ever seen. You were not afraid to do your own stunts on a movie set or videos; not scared of anything. You're tough as nails! I wanna be like you!" Andy (Macho) Matter: Randy Rhoades, "I love your guitar playing, man." Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? Okay, one secret — kind of. Not a lot of people know that Vinnie and Starla were pro-wrestlers for many years. They agree this is easier on their bodies! Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird?Johnny Rock: "The theme song from The Jeffersons TV show." Richard Mitchell: "I was asked to play Ice Ice Baby." Starla Rock: "A guy asked me to kiss a napkin and sign it!" Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms?Vinnie Rock: "I have a silver cross necklace I wear. I don't leave home without it." Richard Mitchell: "I make sure I warm my fingers up." Johnny Rock: "My good luck charm is a rebel flag and cow skull belt buckle my brother and sister from another mother gave me." Starla Rock: "I pray before the show and sometimes I wear my late mom's earrings that were passed down to me." Andy (Macho) Matter: "No, I'm always on!" The Scar RemainsName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? (Would dine with) Serj Tankien (lead singer of System of a Down) and ask, "Are you getting the steak?" Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? Our bassist once swallowed a 2mm guitar pick on accident. While panicking, we called a local music store, asking for medical advice as to whether or not he'd be okay. Also, our drummer and bassist convinced their high school to put in a recording studio through the tech department so that we could record cheaply. Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? As far as being "asked" anything, we haven't had any strange requests, although last year during our closing song at a show, we had a really drunk shirtless guy making a weird hand gesture. Apparently, he was trying to tell our drummer that he really liked the sound of his snare drum. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? Dianna's Deli is our good luck charm. If we need to bond as a band, that's where we go. Pre-gig, we all just focus on making our performance as good and memorable as we can, and do our best to follow through. Shades of RageName a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them? There is no doubt that we would choose Dave Mustaine, founder of Megadeth. His life story has many twists and turns, which completes him — both as a person and as a musician. We would ask him what kind of modern metal bands that he likes. It would be cool to hear his opinion on how metal has grown over the years. Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band? We really don't have any secrets. The only thing people don't know is that Sam has a bottle of his own urine that he's had for five years sitting in his room! Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? We were asked by a drunk regular down at a bar to play a Tom Jones cover. Who the hell is that?! Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms? We all have different charms that give us our metal edge and attitude. Pre-show, you can always find our drummer Tony going at a small box of raisins just because he loves them. Ken and Sam, believe it or not, take a large glass of pre-workout creatine which lets us be energized, while also making us look jacked! As for Scott, you can usually find him getting yelled at by his girlfriend…I guess it makes him angry before the show, which is what metal is all about! The HonkyTonks Name a rocker you idolize (living or dead) that you'd love to have dinner with. What's the first thing you say to them?Jim Sosic: John Lennon. "Was it easier to write music with Paul or without his input?" Jon Baughman: Tom Waits. "What is your obsession with mules, crows, carnivals and the state of Illinois?" Does your band have a secret? What's something most people DON'T know about your band?Michael Rendon: The secret about the HonkyTonks is that although we play a lot of Tex-Mex type music and use Spanish words in some of our original music (like "Mex It Up"), some of the band members are actually first generation Croatian-American. I am the only true Tex-Mex in the band. Funny thing is, our two Croatian players look more Mexican than me, and none of us are native Spanish speakers. However, because the Croatian language has many words that are pronounced similar to Spanish words, they pronounce the Spanish lyrics very well. Has a fan ever asked you to do/play anything completely weird? I was playing a gig in Boston, Massachusetts at a place called the White Buffalo. While I was up on stage singing, there was a group of good looking but rowdy young ladies who were having lots of fun and an equal amount of liquor. One of them walked up on stage. I felt a tug on my pants and turned to find one of the women taking a bite out of my pants. She looked up at me with my Wrangler jeans pocket emblem between her teeth. Her friends had bet her that she could not get my Wrangler emblem without using her hands. She won the bet, and I lost my Wrangler emblem. Do you have any pre-gig/post-gig rituals or good luck charms?Jim Sosic: Ritual pre-gig, have a drink; post-gig, have another drink! Frank Matrka: I'm like a greyhound. I pee before the race.