Dispatches from the Van: On the road with PSYOPUS (Part 1)

Ever want to know what its like to go on tour with a working-class musician? METAL Injection correspondent Justina Villanueva is currently on the road with Psyopus on the Grinding to Cataclysm Tour (dates here) and will be checking in every few days with war stories from the road…

In Rochester, NY, hometown of psycho-grinders Psyopus, everyone is worn out but it's only day three. That's what happens when you hit the road immediately following a tiresome 4-week long studio session. Yet, Psyopus managed their best show yet. Newbie vocalist Brian Woodruff showcased some gruesome frontman nonsense. It was by far the best Psyopus show I've seen in long time– including when Chris Arp stage dove into my face–and one of the best shows I've seen this year. Today was an extra long day. Penny Arcade doubled as a filming studio and venue as a crew filmed a music video and the tour played its third show. Well, for some it was a third show.

Arp clawing it up with the fans

Day 2 took place in Poughkepsie's The Chance, where everyone looks 14 but still has a Heinie in hand. I'm sure there were a bunch of cool moments for me to remember–performance wise. Yet, the only image that sticks: War From A Harlots Mouth's vocalist screaming on top of the bar and pulling on a light. The hanging light swings around and falls but doesn't collapse from the track. Still The Chance's staff was pissed off enough to call the show off, ending WFAHM's set early and completely dismissing Psyopus' chance of noodling. The biggest difference [besides Psyopus not playing their set] between day 2 and day 1 is that back at the Knitting Factory I joked with this medium sized dude to buy a youth medium shirt. "C'mon belly shirts are totally in." He didn't buy it and walked away slightly disturbed that I would even make that kind of joke. But, my message must have inspired youth only a little over a hundred miles away because in Poughkepsie while everyone else sported room-temperature-ready show uniforms (band t's and jeans) this one kid fashioned a belly shirt, with his money-print boxers–that matched his headband–seeping out of his cut-off shorts. Still as bizarre as it may seem that no one else has caught on to my trend forecast, you're not allowed to make fun of this kid. He was the only person to buy any Psyopus merch and I'll have you know it was a men's small.

Besides all the cool show stuff happening, the van is cramped. This tour around, Psyopus ditched their gear-bearing trailer which means there is only enough room for exactly 5 people [sitting]. And it's also packed with tension. After newbie vocalist Brian admitted to not knowing "Master of Puppets" by name, Mr. Arp thought it would be the bombest idea to play i-Pod shuffle, a game where we must leave someone's i-pod on shuffle for a full hour; there is no skipping of songs making song suckage unbearable. So far we've heard bassist Mike's collection of new metal [like who the fuck is PushMonkey] and [drummer] Jason's collection of classics [from Jane's Addiction to the NFL film soundtrack]. But, on the bright side the band has saved a shit-ton of money on gas. While they would have had to filled up the tank twice to make it to NYC from Rochester, they spent less than $98 to fill up the tank and still had enough to make it to my place in Jersey (where gas costs $3.43 by the way).

Stay tuned for more updates from Justina in the next few weeks, and make sure to check out the Grinding to Cataclysm tour if it comes to your down featuring PSYOPUS, WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH, FUCK THE FACTS and LEFT TO VANISH. Full dates here.