Dave Brockie Memorial & B4BQ

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DAVE BROCKIE MEMORIAL/
ODERUS URUNGAS VIKING FUNERAL
& B4BQ with The Black Dahlia Murder & Gritter
August 15, 2014 @ Hadad's Lake & The Broadberry in Richmond, VA

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R.I.P. DAVE BROCKIE / ODERUS URUNGUS ~ 1963 - 2014

GWAR will always have a special place in my heart. The music, the mayhem, the comedy, and of course, the BLOOD. Lots & lots of Blood! I have liked GWAR since the first time I laid eyes on them. They were the ultimate in low-brow entertainment, and I have seen them every time I could. And, not once, in all of those times, have I ever walked away disappointed.
When I started TomAroundTheWorld.com, and decided that I was going to be interviewing bands, GWAR's front man, Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus) gave me my first interview. From that point on, whenever they came through the area, Dave made sure I got an interview and into the shows.
He was always cool to me, and hammed it up in costume, making for great videos.
His unfortunate passing in March left a black spot on my heart. He was one of the coolest guys I had ever met. He was talented, funny, insanely creative, and genuinely friendly to his fans.
His passing made me, and every other GWAR fan, wonder what the future would be for the Scumdogs Of The Universe. Soon after his passing, Dave's band mates made a public announcement that they would carry on without Dave/Oderus. Dave Brockie always wanted the band to go if something happened to him, and they would carry out that wish.
The band announced that they would be performing at Riot Fest, and many people began asking questions: “How could this be?” “Who will lead them?” “How can they replace Dave/Oderus?”
When the band formed nearly 30 years ago, many of the characters sang. It was later that the story and songs focused more around Oderus and his exploits. Drummer Jizmak Da Gusha assured fans that they will soldier on, fighting and destroying their enemies, and return to a show much like it was back when they began, with all the members taking on singing duties.
On the GWAR website, BalSac the Jaws of Death states, “Dark clouds of war and ill omen have gathered around GWAR. In our hour of greatest peril, Oderus has left us and our enemies stand poised, ready to strike while they sense weakness. But we shall no longer cower in our Antarctic stronghold, awaiting Destiny’s final blow. This Fall, GWAR sets out on the most trying quest of our career. We shall scour our leader’s favorite stomping ground, North America, leaving no city unsearched, no venue unraised (sic), and no sheep unmolested. GWAR will venture to the depths of Hell or to the very end of Time itself, and though I fear what we may encounter out there, I know that we can never return home until we have the answer we seek: ‘Where is Oderus Urungus?’”
To find the answer to that question, Chris Besaw and I set out on a road trip to Richmond, Virginia to the 5th Annual GWAR-B-Q, which is GWAR's annual party where they serve up tons of BBQ and even more Metal & Punk acts to the delight of their screaming, blood-soaked, human followers.

This year, the event would take on a different tone due to the loss of vocalist/lead-thing Dave Brockie/Oderus Urungus. Instead of the one day event, it would be two days, sort of... On August 15th, their would be a public memorial for Dave Brockie from 5 PM – 7 PM on the festival grounds, with the actual GWAR-B-Q on August 16th.
Chris and I, along with Chris' wife, Kelly, and son, Jake, piled all our gear & bags, and my wheelchair, into their car and made the journey to Richmond. Kelly and Jake would stay with friends in the area, while Chris and I went to GWAR-B-Q. We left my house at 7:30 AM, and hit the road. We made a quick stop in Pennsylvania for snacks & drinks. When I got to the register to pay for my stuff, I couldn't find my wallet, and I panicked a little, went back to the car and searched frantically for it. Luckily, it had fallen under the seat. Relieved at finding it, I went back and paid, came out and smoked a cigarette, and then we continued on our way. I posted status updates on my personal Facebook page all the way down, keeping fans & friends updated on our progress. Because of this, I got a message from my friend Melanie Pasinski, better known as Metal Mel. She let me know that she was at the Memorial as well and would see us when we got there. It is always good to bump into other Syracuse people when we are traveling. It makes it more fun!
Chris had plotted the route to avoid the Washington, DC traffic, but as it turned out the alternate route was just as congested. It was four lanes of people doing the posted 70 mph (or faster), all while talking away on their cell phones. The traffic would zip along at 70 mph, and then come to a screeching standstill. There were tons of people pulled off the side of the road due to fender-benders caused by the sudden stops. It took us over 2 hours to go 26 miles. It was crazy.
We kept checking the GPS and it looked like we would miss the the Dave Brockie Memorial unless the traffic changed. Kelly's friends live about an hour or more from Hadad's Lake where the event was to take place. If we made there, we would never make it to the memorial service. So, Kelly's friend, Jill, agreed to meet us at an exit and take Kelly and Jake, and their stuff to allow Chris & I to get to Hadad's Lake. We met them in the parking lot of a Target and made the exchange. We gave Kelly and Jake to Jill, and she gave us a package of the new limited edition Cookie Dough Oreos. Mmmm... Tasty.
We got back on the highway and it was moving better, and we made it to Richmond at about 5:30 PM. About that time, Mel texted me asking if she and her friend Anna could get a ride from us to the B4BQ after the memorial service, and we told her it would be no problem. By this time, we were a half hour late already, but we kept going, and arrived at Hadad's Lake just before 6 PM.

When we finally got inside, the crowd was just leaving the stage area, where Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys was the host of the Memorial Service, and heading over to the lake to see the Viking Funeral of Oderus Urungus. The Funeral procession was led by Symenstra Hymen, looking radiant and uncharacteristically angelic in a set of colorful feathery wings. At the rear of the line was Jello Biafra, whom I had a package for. I stopped him for a moment and told him I had it, and he said he would get it the next day. With that, I made my way over to the lake as well.
True to Viking style, Oderus' armor and belongings, as well as other offerings, were placed into a boat. With the Cuttlefish of Cthulhu standing defiantly upright, and a GWAR Beer clutched in his hands, the rope was cut and the boat containing Oderus Urungus was set adrift in the lake. Once it was a safe distance from the crowd, an archer drew back his bow and fired a flaming arrow to set it ablaze. His aim was true and the fire caught quickly and burned intensely. Fireworks placed in the boat as offerings, shot out and sparkled, popped and crackled. There were many photos taken, and many tears shed as the small boat burned. One guy jumped into the lake and was going to swim out to the boat, but some others pulled him back. The fire blazed and smoked as Oderus' belongings were sent to Valhalla.
As soon as it was was done, the security people ushered everyone away from the lake and back towards their cars. Chris and I stopped to talk to a few members of GWAR, who were standing around, out of costume. When we were done chatting, the four of us headed to Chris' car and into Richmond.

We drove into Richmond discussing BBQ and food, with Anna & Mel, and soon found the club The Broadberry, where the B4BQ was taking place. There was a line out the door. The event was sold out and many were trying to get tickets, and asking everyone that walked by if they had any extras.
Bands scheduled included The Black Dahlia Murder, former GWAR member Todd Evans' Mobile Deathcamp, and a few local bands. Unfortunately, Mobile Deathcamp's van had died and they would not be performing. I was looking forward to seeing them again, and hanging out with Todd, who is a very funny & friendly guy. But, that is how things go, and there will be a next time.

When we arrived at The Broadberry, Mel and Anna went right in, while Chris and I waited outside to meet up with Colette Miller, who played the part of the original GWAR woman: Amazina.
We waited for a while outside, smoking cigarettes and chatting with others who were doing the same. Chris made contact with Colette, and she let us know she would be arriving soon.
She arrived and we went up and down the block looking for a quiet place to do the interview . In the end, we all went to a Chinese restaurant next to The Broadberry. I ordered shrimp and broccoli, and Chris and Colette had some egg rolls.
We did a wonderful interview over some tasty Chinese food. Colette is a talented artist doing a wonderful project that is getting world-wide acclaim, called Angel Wings. We talked with Colette about her time in GWAR, and her current “Angel Wings” project. If you have not seen or heard about it, check out her website and see it. They are great! She creates paintings and sculptures of wings around the world, that people pose in front of, and they inspire people to reach for their dreams.
In addition, she shared a great Dave Brockie story with us. He had been her first love and she shared a smoking hot tale of Dave being on fire!
After the interview, we chatted for a while more about what we do, and she let us know that she was off to Australia the next week to paint wings there.
When we finished, we thanked Colette and she went on her way, and Chris and I headed back to The Broadberry to see the show.

When we arrived, we both got a GWAR Beer and Chris headed up to the photo pit. I checked out the merch booth for a moment, and then started towards the front. Suddenly, a bar staff member, came up behind me in the wheelchair and started pushing me towards the front, while another staff member cleared a path.
The put me right up front next to the left side of the stage and I could see everything! It was great!
The band playing when I got up there was called GRITTER. They are a four-piece metal band from Richmond. They were really tight, heavy, and had great riffs. They ended their set with a cover of Nazareth's “Hair of the Dog.” It was the heaviest version I had ever heard and it was done quite well.
When GRITTER finished, I went to check out the patio area and have a smoke.

When I got to the patio door, there were two steps to go up to get out. I went to stand up and take the two steps, when out of nowhere two of the local Metalheads grabbed me and helped me up, while two more of their buddies grabbed my chair and brought it out for me! They were so friendly! What a great bunch of guys! That was Southern Hospitality for you!
I joined them outside and chatted for a while, and Chris eventually found his way out to me. We enjoyed another GWAR Beer, and then headed back inside to see The Black Dahlia Murder.
Formed in Waterford, Michigan in 2000, The Black Dahlia Murder took their name from unsolved 1947 murder of actress named Elizabeth Short, who was better known as Black Dahlia. The band has released six full length albums on the Metal Blade label, with the last five of them charting on the US Billboard 200. Their current release, Everblack, debuted at #32. They have built up a strong following in the Metal community. The play what has been described as melodic Death Metal, but containing high speeds, blast beats, and occasional growled vocals. But, the band also has a Punk ethic.
The show was sold out, and the place was packed by the time The Black Dahlia Murder took the stage. Before the show, there were people outside practically begging for tickets. There were quite a few of them, so when I saw one couple that had been sitting there, texting all night, through the bands, and not even paying attention, I got mad and whipped out my cell to make a Facebook post complaining about it. It basically said that if you are at a sold-out show where REAL FANS are outside begging to get in, and you just sit on your damned cell phones all night, you should be forced to give up your ticket to someone that will appreciate what they are seeing.

After the Black Dahlia Murder finished their ripping set, Chris, Mel, Anna, and I headed over to a bar called Strange Matter to catch the end of the Bohab Ball, another GWAR Party hosted by members of the Slave Pit. We were going to meet up with Tony Foresta of Municipal Waste and Iron Reagan. When we got there, the final band was finishing up their final song. They were a wildly dressed bunch, and were pretty funny. We had a drink and hung out with a few of the Slave Pit members, and found out that Tony would not be joining us.
After a short while, we decided to head back to the field near Hadad's Lake where the guys from the crew were staying to get a few hours sleep. We bid Anna and Mel goodnight and headed toward the lake. As we passed through one area of town, we came to blocked intersections and police cars everywhere. There were a lot of African-Americans in the streets, and there was a lot of screaming and movement. One of the cops waved us to go back and told us, “Get the hell out of here!” We did so immediately, and found an alternative route to the field. When we got there the lot was nearly empty, as the crew had an early call to set up.
I made a bathroom stop at an on-site port-a-potty and the security person told me that she was supposed to turn out the lights and they were not expecting anyone to be there. I explained that we had permission from GWAR's press manager to stay there, and that we were just going to sleep in the car until morning, and she was cool with that, and when I came back from the facilities, she turned out the field lights and it went dark.
When I got back to the car, Chris told me he had gone online and found a cheap motel where we could shower & sleep, that was just a few miles away. We headed towards the motel, but when we got to the exit, there was another motel promoting rooms for $20 LESS than the one he had found. We checked it out. It was neat, clean, and offered free continental breakfast. We took the room. We unpacked, showered, (and let me tell you, we BOTH needed the shower, BADLY!), and then got a few hours sleep.
It had been a long crazy day!