Comments on: Meeting of the Metal Minded: The Noctis III Metal Festival and Conference

By: Smash

Smash — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:27:48 +0000

Great article, Rob. Thanks. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

A conference overview with purely fan’s voice rather than a journalist’s voice would be a hit, I suggest. … If that makes any sense. Or perhaps something written on the business end of this festival. Were the organizers interviewed? If such a festival can make money, it’d perhaps inspire other such events in other places. Basically more on how music and money can be made, rather than can’t (print media, label deals, etc.)

Travel note to anyone visiting the area in future years – take a day to rent a car and drive the Iceland’s Parkway via Banff to Jasper and back. Can be done in a day. You’ll quite possibly never see anything more awesome or more black metal in a “grim and frostbitten kingdom” kind of way. The lyrics to Woods of Ypres’ “Through Chaos and Solitude I Came…” sums it up pretty well.

Martin Popoff, I’ve really enjoyed your books. You’re right-on about Love/Hate!

By: Larry R.

Larry R. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:23:44 +0000

Nice write up, we had a great time at the conference and the rest of the festival. I kinda felt bad interrupting poor David like that during the DIY discussion, but it’s always fun to the bust your friend’s balls in public right? LOL But seriously I thought the whole event was great and well organized and we’d be delighted to come back again, even if just in a guest speaker/panelist capacity. Maybe then I could actually get to speak without feeling like I’m interrupting!! Haha.

Calgary was awesome, I hope we get back there again sometime soon.

By: JJ

JJ — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:35:14 +0000

This festival was awesome, bigger than previous Noctis festivals but the addition of the conference was icing on the cake. If you’re in a band like many of us are, this was the don’t-miss-event-of-the-year. Best information and networking opportunity I’ve ever had. As a musician whose serious about taking my band somewhere, this conference has saved me years of scrambling around in the dark about what we should be doing next.

Hanging at the festival hotel wasn’t too shabby either. One minute you were talking to Ellefson, then to Popoff in the lobby then one of the dudes from Suffocation would stop and ask directions then Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert would walk past. Holy fuck! A pantheon of metal! I’m there next year in a heartbeat.

By: Martin Popoff

Martin Popoff — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:36:38 +0000

Sweet write-up Rob – thanks a lot and cool to see you there. Yes, no kidding, Terese rocked that whole thing. It was top shelf all the way. Hope we see another one next year. I particularly dug the seminar on improviging rock photography and yeah, ha ha, we were all pretty amused by the toughness of the panel on getting signed. Yeesh. Fave bands – Aura Noir and Destroyer 666, and I’m sure, man, them an’ everyone were greatly enhanced by that formidable sound system at the university. Loud as hell but totally hi-fi.

By: mommy dearest

mommy dearest — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:18:26 +0000

Mike Scalzi (Slough Feg) slays, man — he should be the keynote speaker EVERY year at EVERY conference.

By: evil

evil — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:00:27 +0000

Very good article. The whole weekend was some of the most fun I have had in a very long time. I met many interresting people (especially by “bouncing” the door for the Slayer Room, and ripping it up at the club that night). Terese put on an amazing Festival this year, and I know it’s just going to continue to blow it’s previous year’s fest out of the water. Looking foreward to the next article.

By: Gruesome Greg

Gruesome Greg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:58:29 +0000

I grew up in Calgary during some lean years for local metal. Haven’t been able to make it back for this fest, but I know I’d have a place to sleep if I did. Looking forward to reading the rest of yer writeup…

Peace,

Greg

By: Rob H

Rob H — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:22:26 +0000

Thanks, man. I’m very glad I went. The event delivered beyond my expectations.

By: Lainad

Lainad — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:21:08 +0000

That was a very insightful writeup. Thank Rob!