The Scene With Mark Mcguire !

Alright so this year's Desert Rock, came by with some awesome bands (OPETH, Arch Enemy, Chimaira, August Burns Red, Nervecell, winners of "United We Rock" Scarab and Hatred)

Thanks to the tremendous work the organizers of CSM have put in the event all these past years, they decided to give the metal heads of the region a night to remember with a line up full of metality for DDR 09 ... (Google each band that performed at this year's DDR and you will find out they each brought their own special brand of brutality to the stage)

A while back I had "a word" with Mark Mcguire about the growing scene in Dubai, Phride and the pit stops on the way to make the scene grow ... so we had another talk about DDR, CSM and the scene today and how it was back in the days of the first Desert Rock...Slash, KSE smoking dohka (which is the best thing to smoke in Emirates), about the rumors floating around and alot more.


Here's how it went:

TMR: Whats your fondest memory of Desert Rock?

Mark: Desert Rock to me is something i treat as the quintessential international music festival and
i believe it deserves that status. Ive been to every DDRF apart from this years and apart from the fantastic atmosphere, the connection with friends and the general festival experience i think personally my favourite experiences were working with my girlfriend, taking my drummer backstage to meet Killswitch Engage (nice guys) and talking to Robin Flynn from Machine Head and having no idea who he was until i was accosted with 'dude do you know who the fuck that was?' It made me realize even more how these are normal people like you and me and they react better to being treated that way. Walking around the stage Iron Maiden had just came off was a buzz as well.



TMR: Who where some of your favorite bands to work with?

Mark: Some were fantastic and other were difficult even given the small job of keeping them on schedule and taking them on and off stage i had. To this day i still think As I Lay Dying top the lot. I had sent them a message through myspace a few weeks before, they replied and when we met i was taken into the dressing room by the guitarist Nick to the tune of 'hey guys this is our new friend Mark McGuire'. Fantastic bunch of lads. The majority of KSE were great too. I actually loaned my pipe and dohka to the bassist for the night to give him a taste of the emirates. The next day Adam D returned it too me and said he had one hit and passed out which i think is something i wont forget. Velvet Revolver worked us big style but they were very generous and made us feel very welcome. Slash owes us money haha. Other big rushes included being in Muse's dressing room and meeting Korn.



TMR: What are some of the problems the scene is facing today?

Mark: The scene is making a real effort but the buzz is dying down. Its obvious the bands are trying very hard and making an impact at every gig they play but we need to get back into the place where were hounding the press and basically demanding our interviews and our articles, which i can seeing happening again. It may not have the biggest impact internationally but its something to add to your press pack. And having been on tour as a member of Asking Alexandria any press pack is a good press pack. To bands hoping to tour - flaunt the name Dubai because its a big attention point when touring the UK.



TMR: How was setting up the first Desert Rock, did it flow smoothly back then, or where there alot of speed bumps on the way to start it off?

Mark: I wasn’t working the first DDRF but a good friend did drum for JD and opened for The Rasmus and it was a pinnacle which noted changes were coming in the scene. It was a metaphorical opening of the gates for the bands that were struggling at the time and its only grown since then.



TMR: There have been rumours about DDR 09 being the last in the festivals run, if that where to happen, do you think one of the reasons would be a decline in the scenes growth ?

Mark: I can only say these are just rumours right now but last DDRF some bands experienced a lot of negativity from fans within the emirates. This was shocking and uncalled for and lets hope they grow up because if the current progress in introducing niche market music in the UAE is being compromised, expect all your extreme music to disappear from virgin very quickly.



TMR: What do you think some of the main problems facing CSM every year putting on festivals like DDR ?

Mark: DDRF is a huge event and the head team in CSM are a small one. They are dedicated, professional and intelligent individuals who basically give up their personal lives to make each DDRF event more memorable than the next. Apart from the obvious problems from the ministry and the strict Emirati laws CSM has faced criticism from a lot of people who just dont seem to realize how lucky they are to be witnessing their favourite bands in concert in the UAE, but im sure were all sick of hearing that haha.



TMR: Apart from CSM who do you think contributed to the scene on a considerable level ?

Mark: There are a lot of names that come to mind. Obviously Joe Akkawi, founder and owner of www.phride.com has built a miniature empire based around a passion he has and which is shared by many around him. The scene wouldn't be what it is without Joe and for that we thank him.

Other people i think deserve special mentions would be -

The CSM team who have done such a fantastic and passionate job bringing the worlds music to the country . Thank you Holly, Lara, Mathile, Fab and everyone else we love you!

Nervecell and Julianna Down, who despite the criticism they may get will always have a place in our hearts for demonstrating a sense of professionalism and love for a scene which we all hope will continue to blow up internationally.

The sponsors and investors who make DDRF possible

All the moderators on www.phride.com including Fizz, Basel, Joe, Peter and all the rest for keeping us all ‘ in line’ when were ‘online’...

The old crowd including bands like Mannikind, The Jolly Rodgers, Chaotic Order, Epoch, Death Of Eighty, Minus The Blindfold and all the others who fought to play and express themselves...

I would also like to mention the people hosting gigs in their backyards etc such as the springs and the recent trampoline gig where there was even a stage built. That was a fantastic show of dedication on the organizers part and it was well appreciated...



TMR: What do you think of the shows being organized nowadays (Metal Asylum for example)?

Mark: I think these shows are a fantastic step towards injecting the scene with some life and events such as blacklist are also encouraging. Music is inspiration and experiencing this music with friends in a social environment is even more productive.



TMR: Thank you Mark for doing this once again, would you like to add anything ?

Mark: All i would add is that there are a lot of fantastic bands out there in the scene and we all need to support them because despite our limits within the music scene we have a real advantage being from a city like Dubai. We have a lot to offer and if were dedicated then we will prevail...
I handed a recording contract to Junkyard Groove on my second stint as Shamal MC and things have only grown from there.

Have faith i guess... because we already have the talent...


'We would all also like to say a big goodbye to Dayaan who will be moving off to college. As a hugely active member in the scene he had contributed his charm and charisma and always managed to make us smile. We wish him good luck for the future and hope he comes back to us soon, Mark'


I'd like to thank Mark for his time.

Don't forget to check out Of Brutality And Grace on Myspace and Facebook.