thepocketgod meets The Metatrons

I have found the future of pop! They are called The Metatrons.

ace track - aerosol - hear it here

HI PEEPS. SO TELL US A LITTLE A BIT ABOUT YOUR BAND;

Polly - We are The Metatrons and we are very nice. My personal best achievement so far with the band was at Rhythm festival last summer when I took a flying leap at Steve Diggle. I don't think he minded that much, he'd been quaffing pints of champagne on stage. 

Simon – The band started as Polly had some poppy pop songs and I had some noisy pop songs that I didn’t have an outlet for, so we put them together and got on with it. We recorded our “Between Planets” album before we’d played a lot of gigs, so we used the record as a way to get the name about.

We’ve gone quite far in a short space of time and the reaction to the songs has been great. Achievements-wise we got to play on the BBC Introducing stage at ROTW last year after only a couple of gigs, and then we were booked for the afore mentioned Rhythm Festival with a bunch of our favourite all-time performers, Buzzcocks and Nick Lowe in particular so that was very cool.

Steve- I'm the new boy !

WHERE DID THE NAME COME FROM? IT GIVES OFF A 1950’S SCI-FI VIBE TO ME BUT I BELIEVE IT’S THE NAME OF A JEWISH ANGEL.

Polly - I blame Simon. I wanted to be called The Scandalles.

Simon – The name has a lot of meanings but the one I choose to use is “Messenger” or “The Voice”. I have no interest in any religious connotations. Interesting that you should mention the 1950’s sci-fi thing though as “Between Planets” is the title of a Robert Heinlein novel from that era.

Steve- we're all a bit sci-fi keen really- robots and spaceships etc.- so the feel of it suits- but the metatron is the hebrew name for the voice of God (as explained so well by Alan Rickman in 'Dogma'), but we're not religious- just divine!

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU GUYS AND GIRL INTO AT THE MOMENT?

Polly - Girl is listening mostly to the Hedwig and the angry inch soundtrack in her car and a best-of The Primitives album at home.

Simon – mostly the same stuff I’ve been listening to since I was 15 – Dinosaur Jr, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion..Five Star..

Steve- I seem to be listening to the Devils music mostly at the moment.

Dez - Tom Waits latest album. Billy Bragg re-issues. Burhan Ocal and The Trakya All Stars.

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST GIG YOU’VE EVER DONE?

Polly - A cameo appearance at a working mens’ club where the audience halved when I got up to sing.

Simon – The Metatrons gigs haven’t been too weird yet, I’m sure we’ll have some though. The strangest gig I have ever played otherwise was in a bar in Bedfordshire to a bunch of pretend punks who were waiting for a Sex Pistols tribute act in another venue. We were not popular. No sir.

Steve- strangest for me was playing in the middle of the countryside for a gang of outlawed Hells Angels- strange and dangerous by turns.

Dez - A French crazy golf course. The police shut us down too.

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED IN BELGIUM? HOW DID IT GO? WAS IT WEIRD?

Simon – I’ve never been to Belgium. What’s there?

Polly - No. I have not. Is Belgium fun?

Steve- me neither- weird huh?

Dez - I’m not really sure.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY SPINAL TAP MOMENTS? IF SO PLEASE SHARE.

Polly - I saw Bad News first so prefer that as I'm quite stubborn. Plus Peter Richardson is involved.

Simon – I think Steve will explode one day, I can just see it happening.

Steve- it must be the throbbing veins (in my temples)

Dez - I watched it on television once.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A GOTH? HAVE YOU EVER HIT A GOTH?

Polly - At school I described myself as a new romantic when yelled 'oy are you a goffic' at by trendies. I was blatently a goth though just in denial who surprisingly wasn't then hit.

Simon – I’m more gothy these days than I used to be. I’ve not really hit anyone, not with any real frequency anyway.

Steve- I've always worn black alot, but i've never gothed out proper. I wouldn't hit one- I think they're rather sweet.

Dez - I used to have a Welsh goth bodyguard for a while.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO COME TO THE STATES? NEW YORK COULD DO WITH A METATRONS INJECTION!

Polly - Only if you buy my ticket and I can visit my friend in SF too.

Simon – I’d love to, that would be great. For any interested promoters out there we work very cheap, don’t eat much and smell pretty good.


Steve- that would be really good- I reckon i could even get a mate to put me up.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE RAMONES SONG?

Polly - Ooooooooooow thats almost an impossible question. Needles and Pins today. but it might be Sheena tomorrow and Blitkreig Bop the day after. All of them. I can't answer.

Simon – that is tricky………The KKK took my baby away or Commando probably.

Steve- there are too many great ones to answer that properly- so it'd have to be the first one i heard- 'Judy is a punk'

Dez - The KKK took my baby away.

WHOSE YOUR FAVOURITE RAMONE?

Polly - PJ Soles

Simon – Johnny, but with Joey’s politics – so I’ve just created a mutant….Mutant Ramone. He lives in the sea and feasts on the flesh of mermaids.

Steve- Grae J Ramone.

Dez - I met Dee Dee once.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?

Polly - Diary of a Madman and other stories by Nikolai Gogol and Mog the forgetful cat by Judith Kerr.

Simon – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein and Watchmen by Alan Moore.

Steve- American Gods- Neil Gaiman, Holes- Louis Sacher

Dez - Zorba The Greek.

CIDER, ABSINTHE OR MAGIC MUSHROOMS?

Steve- No- I'm always like this.

Polly - Most definitely Stowford Press.

Simon – Yep, sounds great – are you buying?

Dez - Absinthe

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FINDING EXTRA TERRESTRIAL LIFE?

Polly - I hope they don't have concentrated acid for blood.

Simon – I’d be pleased overall but scared………also fascinated. It’s that thing of being careful what you wish for…I read something recently that the reason they turned off a lot of things that were searching for ET was because they decided that they didn’t want them to find us in case they were hostile!

Steve- it would be great! I would like this opportunity to be the first to welcome our alien overlords.

Dez - I think it is highly unlikely.

HAVE ANY OFF YOU HAD ANY PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES (AND THAT DOESN’T MEAN HANGING OUT BACKSTAGE AT THE HORN)

Polly – Our song Debris is about the mess and havoc of being at The Horn on a regular basis. Or maybe it was just once and it was deja vu. Which is about as close as I've got.

Simon – I’m having one right now. It’s nice.

Steve- I'm convinced that i recently saw the ghost of one of my old cats.

LIFE IS IT RANDOM OR PART OF A BIGGER PLAN?

Simon  – Random, and all the better for it.

Steve- Totally random- even when you feel like everything is against you.

Dez - Luckily random.

Polly- what kind of bigger plan? as in Ikea?

DAWKINS, DARWIN OR DALAI LAMA?

Polly – Dostoevsky

Simon – Darwin. I’m sure the Dalai Lama is very nice though – did you see he was a judge on a cooking programme? Now THAT is random.

Steve- Charles Fort.

Dez - All three please.

WHAT WOULD BE IN YOUR DREAM RIDER?

Polly - Champagne and dancing girls. And maybe some Applewood cheese being delivered by Johnny Depp

Simon – A live goat, two bottles of vodka and a towel.

Steve- a ghost rider in the sky.

Dez - Beer and a nice sandwich.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEIRD PRE GIG RITUALS?

Polly - A 2 drink maximum pre gig ritual is quite weird being friends with The Trailer Trash Orchestra.

Simon – Just the goat thing really – I don’t find it weird but it has upset some people in the past.

Steve- total sobriety- weird.

Dez - Try and find the venue.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2012?

Polly - More of the same but with less concussion.

Simon – We’ve a micro-tour in February – London, Hitchin and Brighton. Try and play as many festivals as we can over the summer and we’re going to record a session for Dandelion Radio in a few weeks….other than that just keep the momentum going and see where we end up! In a ditch probably.

Steve- to keep my spirits up and my head down.

WILL WE ALL STILL BE HERE AT THE END OF 2012?

Polly - I hope so, it's quite fun once you get going.

Simon – We better had be, I’ve got loads of gardening to finish off.

Steve- oh yes- it might be a little different- but we'll be here.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SCIENCE FICTION FILM?

Polly – Aliens

Simon – Either 2001 or Capricorn One – as long as it has a “1” in the title I’m happy......Oh no wait , I think it’s The Empire Strikes Back.

Steve- I love so many of them- probably 'Forbidden Planet'.

Dez - Either Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky, or The ALF Christmas special.

WALT DISNEY – DEMON OR ANGEL?

Polly – Deeeemon

Simon – The devil wears mouse ears

Steve- Racist devil.

Dez - Animator.

WILL YOU BE WATCHING THE SUPERBOWL?

Polly - I will not. I know nothing about sport and frequently fail quizzes for this reason.

Simon – I used to watch it but now it’s on too late and I’m usually asleep.

Steve- 'fraid not- maybe the toilet bowl.

Dez – No.

WHAT’S YOUR BEST SONG AND WHY?

Polly - My Sympathy cos I get to play 2 notes on the £5 keyboard

Simon – We have lots of new ones, one called “Please Mister” I think is the best. In the current crop though I’d go with My Sympathy too, it’s got so  much in it – a real Spector-type of intro and the guitars on the record are really naughty. Great fun to play.

Steve- They're all the best.

BEST BAND T SHIRT EVER?

Polly – Simon has one advertising Marky Ramones’s pasta sauce.

Simon – I have, it’s true. My favourite one is an old Black Flag one with a Pettibon drawing of a nun kneeling in front of a mans’ naked legs.

Steve- Psychic T.V. used to have some great ones.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BIT OF MUSICAL KIT AND WHY?

Polly - I've got a fuzzbox and so I like to use that.

Simon – My Big Muff (fnar) and my Marshalls. Together they are unstoppable.

Steve- My lovely Slingerland Studio King and Ludwig Coliseum Snare.

Dez - My harmonium. Looks like a sideboard and doesn’t need electricity.

HOW DO YOU RECORD? NAKED (LIKE U2) OR CLOTHED?

Polly - Yuck what an unpleasant thought. Clothed thank you very much and I'll have no more of your insolence.

Simon – I often record in my pyjamas as I tend to have my ideas early on in the day. I’m pretty useless in the afternoons.

Steve - True- never like U2.

Dez - Not like U2.

WHAT RECORDING EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?

Polly – Simon

Simon – I have a little set up so I can record demos….I use an decade-old Yamaha AW16G 16 track to record ideas and have done some recordings for other people on it, it’s pretty good..

Steve- yeah- Simon, and Dez.

DANISH PASTRIES, CROISSANTS OR BAGEL?

Polly - Hula hoops.

Simon – is this before, during or after the Absinthe, Mushrooms and Cider? I’ll have a bagel please.

Steve- all of the above- just at different times of the day.

Dez - Danish pastry please.

WIZARD OF OZ OR PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT?

Polly - Wizard of the desert

Simon – Priscilla I think. The Wizard of Oz gives me a headache.

Steve- Tough one- Priscilla is great but the flying monkeys steal it for me every time.

Dez - Priscilla queen of the desert every time. I never trusted that wizard.

FINALLY IF YOU WERE SUBJECT TO AN ALIEN VISITATION HOW WOULD YOU GREET THEM?

Polly - With a cup of sugary tea and a smile.

Simon – I’d say hello, nice to meet you and ask them how their journey was and did they find somewhere reasonable to park.

Steve- With a song and the mass sacrifice of the worlds' leaders.

Dez - I still think it would be highly unlikely.

here's their fab website!

thepocketgod interviews the legendary Dave Davies from The Kinks

Hi,

Wow I just got to interview one of my all time rock and roll heroes. The man who invented rock music with his pioneering distorted guitar sound and power riffs. And to boot he's also into weird stuff and spirituality. I caught up with Dave via a dodgy line on Skype to talk to him about his new album he's recording but I ended up just letting him talk about life, the universe and everything. Some people who get to talk to their heroes are just disappointed but not me. I was blown away with his candidness and friendliness, and after an over an hour chatting, I was left spiritual re-charged and ready to rock. Thanks Dave.

You can listen to the interview in full here;

thepocketgod interviews Dave Davies

Also check out his excellent website @

http://www.davedavies.com/home.htm


thepocketgod
xxx

thepocketgod interviews Crop Circle Expert, Esoteric Thinker and Musician Dr Simeon Hein

Dr Simeon Hein – thank you for taking part in this interview.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey y’all, it’s Dr. Hein: musician, mystic, thinker, and teacher.
(Ph.D. stands for post-hole digger, BTW, but I used to teach
undergrad statistics.) I’m the author of several guitar CDs
and the books Opening Minds and Planetary Intelligence
and I run the Mount Baldy Institute for Resonant Viewing
based in Boulder, Colorado.

Crop Circles – of particular interest to myself are the occurrence of strange crop circles which appear as if from knowhere in the fields of rural England and other places around the world. I know a couple of guys came out a few years ago saying that they were all a hoax but I’m not so sure they seem to be too complex to be just a couple of guys and a few sticks. What’s your take on crop circles?

Alot of them in the past were non-human made, by flying saucers and things
like that, but now people make them too, especially the big ones. I’ve spoken
with witnesses who’ve seen them formed in a few seconds by UFOs, for whatever
reason. I’ve also gotten to know the modern human circlemakers, most of
whom relish the experience with the unknown and fun of being out there
at night doing something mysterious and different (and somewhat illegal). 
And “yes,” they can make big ones.

What’s you personal experience of them? Has anything strange happened to you whilst in one? Are you planning any more crop circle tours this year in the UK?

In my times in the crop circles, I’ve seen a lot of camera and battery failure
in and around the wheat fields. It’s really odd because one moment your device
is working, and the next minute it’s not. It’s very strange and not yet explainable
by science. There’s an energy field there that our electronics don’t work well in.
The manmade circles have this effect as well. Pretty weird if you ask me,

It’s even happened to professional film crews. I was filming with the National Geographic channel in 2009 in the so-called “Aztec formation”near Silbury Hill in Wiltshire when they told me, after the entering same formation a couple of weeks before, how their pro-camera lost its battery and then wouldn’t start even after a fresh
one was put it. They had to call headquarters in London for help to get it working
again. Ive heard that the same thing has happened to BBC film crews.

And I’ve seen it first-hand myself almost every summer in at least one of the circles. 
Sometimes a fresh circle can affect devices and batteries for a few days as happened
with the Fyfield Down or “Devil’s Den” formation in 1999.

We do tours to the crop circles every summer so people can enjoy this part
of world and experience a little crop circle magic for themselves.

What do you think causes them? Is there a link to UFOs?

UFOs have been associated with crop circles for a long time in the U.S.,
Australia, and the U.K. but as I mentioned above, people now make them
too. Doug and Dave, the “two guys for the pub” who made them in the 1980’s
in Hampshire and other locations were inspired by the “Tully Saucer Nests” 
from the ‘60s and ‘70s in Australia, so they say.

Nowadays, it seems that most of the formations are manmade.

I also see on your excellent website newcrystalmind.com that you’re also interested in UFOs and of the possible use by the US military of reverse engineered alien technology. What sort of links are you making? 

I’ve spoken with and heard many witnesses from the military that our governments
and some corporations have access to back-engineered UFO technology. Apparently
is has helped our technological acceleration since World War II especially in aeronautics.

UFOs – tell us about your own UFO experience in Nevada in 2005?

I was with another crop circle research, Denni Clark, at a UFO conference
in Laughlin, Nevada, no less, when we were driving back from a skywatch
at 1 AM in the morning. All of sudden, as we approaching the town, we saw
a flying black triangle cruising over the river behind the main street. It was
silent. low, and slow and almost invisible against the dark sky. Probably a secret
military vehicle but we don’t know for sure. We saw it for about 30 seconds
before it went out of view.

Why do you think that the governments of the world are keeping hush about the possible interaction of our planet with extra-terrestrials?

Probably because they don’t know how to talk about it. Too many unknowns.
But a number of them like Brazil and France have started being more open
about the subject.

Do you see contact with extra terrestrials as a positive thing for this planet?

In the long run, it’s going to happen, so we’ll have to make the best
of it. It could be positive or negative depending how we react. But
at this point, I believe it’s only a matter of time.

What other areas of paranormal research are you interested in?

People’s ability to know more than is possible with their
physical senses. This is known as “remote viewing” or “resonant sensing”
and I think believe people do it all the time, even without knowing
it. It can also be taught.

Do you believe in life after death? If so what do you think exists for us after this life?

Yes, based on my experiences with deceased loved ones, and anecdotal stories, I’m 
convinced that we keep going, so to speak. We’re here for good, one way or another.

Music

Going off in a random tangent I notice from your website that you’re also a musician. What do you do and what music do you play? 

I’ve been playing finger-picking guitar since I was fourteen. I’m attracted
to the simplicity of acoustic guitar and the way it sounds and makes you feel.
It can completely change your mood, and your audience, in seconds.

What’s your opinion on the theory that apparently Stonehenge was some kind of musical/ritual cauldron where the acoustics of the stones triggered a trance like state in the people taking part?

Could have been. I’m not sure exactly what the purpose of it is, but it is a neat
place, with a mathematical vibe.

What’s our favourite album of all time?

That’s really tough.
It’s a three-way tie between Beatles’ “Sgt. Peppers”, “Led Zeppelin I”, and John Renbourn’s “Nine Maidens”.

What books are you reading at the moment?

John Medina’s Brain Rules, Scott Patterson’s The Quants, and Kevin Duffy’s Who Were the Celts? and Carmine Gallo’s The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.

Darwin, Dawkins, Creationism or Ancient Aliens?

I’m pretty sure it’s Darwin and Ancient Aliens. We’re very
different in some ways from other creatures on the planet.
I think genetic manipulation may have had something to do
with it.


Thanks check out the newcrystalmind website!


http://newcrystalmind.com/