Josh Barnett: Training & Blogs!

[Keithlewis]

Baltimore, Maryland...not just a fictional city on HBO's “The Wire” but a real one were people will boldly traipse up to you off of a bench and ask and or pander drugs! It's also home to one of the biggest underground music shows out there: The Maryland Deathfest. I made the trip out for this years to support my buddy Nate and his boys in Lair of the Minotaur but also to see the symphony of war that is Bolt Thrower.

To say that they were all that was to be expected would be like saying a nuclear bomb goes “boom”. They were awesome. The outdoor venue was so packed with fans you couldn't have wedged a flattened rat in between them. The played a mix of stuff ranging from their last album like “At First Light” to classics “War Master”, “...For Victory” and real oldies like “In Battle There is no Law”. They even headlined the last day as there was problems with band that was supposed to go on and Bolt Thrower essentially gave an encore performance, which for those who missed them, could be the last time you see them in the US.

Meeting them in person was also a great experience and they were as kind and friendly as they come. I think we talked cars more than anything else and are in consensus – The Aston Martin is a beauty to behold and sounds as good as it looks when you come up on the rpm's. They asked their share of questions about fighting and are genuine fans. Not just of me or Shayna, but catch the sport when they can. I'll be coming out to them as entrance music in my next fight and I'll be proud to have their music herald in victory.

Also on the second day was a band called Lair of the Minotaur and just by hearing them you would think the singer, Steve Rathbone was eight feet tall. A friend of mine, Nate Olp (Of Demiricous) has been with them on bass for a while now and he introduced to them at a Goatwhore concert in LA. Cool guys and all but brutal when sticks hit skins and strings light up the amps. Music is all about personal taste but I felt as if they were of a different level to some of the other acts I saw out there. They brought tons of energy with Nate thrashing hard as fuck, Steve shredding and caving eardrums, and Chris beheading the drum kit. Check these guys out as they are on tour right now and pick up an album if like brutal metal about beheading Gorgons and chopping people with swords.

A while back I got to go to the Revolver Golden God's award show in LA. It was a cush deal with Affliction having their own table in the lounge and a cool balcony set up for us VIP's. .. Before the show I got to meet Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage and actually he came by because he is a major fan of MMA. When I say major I mean he knows PRIDE, UFC, Strikeforce, K-1, DREAM, the works. Really cool guy. Howard and Co. started the show off with a great set and all was groovy...until some drunken idiots wouldn't sit down in the front so we could all see the show.

I had had enough and went down to ask them to sit and I did. I even said please. This fool, of course, gave me lip. (A product of a society that doesn't have any concept of accountability...but that's something else for later) So I told him he needed to sit the fuck down and then him and some of the people with him, drunken girls and some little douche, started jawing. So I stepped up to him and told him if he didn't sit, I would make him to which the short stick starts commanding “Step off my boy”. I then turned left, bent over, got inches from So.Cal. Napoleon's face and stated “What are you going to do about it”. His response - “I'm gonna call security.”. Touche? So plenty of verbal exchanges between me and mine and them and those followed all the while random people in the crowd came up and said they were going to jump in the guys if it starts. Security did come and eject the idiots – Napoleon's Waterloo at Club Nokia I suppose. The whole while this is transpiring, my buddy Alex is on the stage presenting an award...which we all missed. We heard he did good though.

The rest of the night wasn't as exciting besides me running down food trays for Miki, Tom and everyone. Oh, I did Thai clinch Tom and chuck him into some dude that was standing around minding his own. Then I blamed Tom and apologized for my inebriated friend....I know, I am a dick lol. Megadeth closed out the televised portion of the show and tore the place down. Very tight and played a selection voted by the fans starting with “Peace Sells.” Sweet. One gripe I had though was the “Most Metal Athlete award. While Shaun White seems like a good guy and all but there are more metal athletes out there and I want it next show. Snowboarding and putting metal in your video game is nice but I look eye to eye with a man and then beat him within an inch of his life. I carried Bolt Thrower's logo on my trunks and use them as my entrance music. What the fuck is more metal than that! I could add tot he list but simply, whoever has to die to make it happen, pick out your casket.

The next night I met up with Nate and the boys from Lair of the Minotaur in H-wood and we went down to the Knitting Factory for the aforementioned Goatwhore show. Fun thing about saying you're going to a Goatwhore concert is a) saying “Goatwhore” and b) watching people try to figure out what you said because surely, you didn't just say “Goatwhore”. I hadn't heard them besides a few songs on Myspace before the show but they brought it. The place was moshing and head banging like mad and there was even some chick flying around like a tornado colliding into the fray. They had a great show and showed veteran skills of working the room. Take a listen to the song, “Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult”. It's the jam.

Abayo,


Josh

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

Seminar in Seattle, Sunday Nov. 28th

Hey everyone. I'll be holding a seminar on MMA and catch wrestling at Ivan Salaverry MMA located in beautiful Downtown Seattle.

It's a small gym and space will be very limited so be sure to get in quickly.

Cost: $100

Where: Ivan Salaverry MMA 230 8th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109

When: Sunday Nov. 28th

Contact: Ivan Salaverry MMA 206.652.8381 ivansalaverrymma@ivansalaverry.net

[BreakingBacks]

[Keithlewis]

http://www.grapplersquest.com/events/ta ... -challenge

[Keithlewis]