[Strappado]

65

Artist: The Mob
Release: Demo (aka In For The Kill), 1989
Genre: Hard Rock / Heavy Metal
Country: USA (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Bitrate: VBR
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Thanks to original uploader

The songs "In for the Kill" & "Angry Young Child" can also be found on the 2007 compilation 'Lehigh Valley Rocks! The Best of 1984-1994'.

Recorded at The Joint, Phillipsburg, PA, July 1989.
Produced and Engineered by Scott D.Y.F.D.M. Henninger

Michael J. "Chillz" Horvath - Vocals (Chillz)
Joe Cecala - Guitar, Backing Vocals (Endzone)
Dave "Dez" Ozimek - Guitar (Syk2e)
Bob "M. Beest" Hafer - Bass, Backing Vocals (Atom West)
Frank Sarkozy - Drums (Chillz, Endzone)

Article from The Morning Call, February 2, 1990
Michael Horvath learned the hard way that the City of Angels is a hard place. The 21-year-old Allentown resident, who currently is the lead singer for hard-rock band The Mob, went there in September 1988 to break into the music business. Seven months later, the hard-rock maw which spawned superstars Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses chewed him up and spat him out out on the asphalt of Sunset Strip, flat broke and bereft of possessions. Horvath had left Allentown after the break-up of Chillz, a heavy metal band that he and long-time friend Frank Sarkozy had started while they were students at Freedom High in Bethlehem. Like many aspiring young musicians, Horvath was convinced he needed to go directly to the glittering heart of the recording industry -- Los Angeles -- to succeed. But Horvath's hopes came a cropper thanks to an entertainment scam -- pay to play -- that is unique to Los Angeles. The swindle has generated increasing cries of foul in the national press. Horvath explained how it works. "There are three main clubs in Los Angeles: The Whiskey, Gazzari's and The Country Club, which is the top of the heap. If your act wants to play The Country Club, you send your demo tape to the promoter. If he decides to give your band a slot, that's when the hard part starts. "You have to give the club owners money up front for the opportunity to perform on their stages. It can be anywhere from $500 to $2,500 depending on the night and your location on the bill. Then they set a ticket price and give the band members tickets to sell. The band keeps the money from the ticket sales." Another catch is, the competition is so fierce that it's difficult for band members to sell enough tickets to recoup their initial cash outlay. So most acts lose money -- lots of it.

Horvath said that Hollywood club owners have the musicians between a rock and a hard place. To be seen by representatives of major record labels and gain a theoretical shot at the brass ring, bands must play on these stages. If a band can't afford the asking price -- out of sight is out of mind. Plus, there are always new bodies to fill the places left by the fallen and those who won't pay. "Band members wind up out on Sunset Strip right before their shows, selling tickets for whatever they can get! I couldn't get anywhere," said Horvath. "Finally, I had my apartment broken into. Everything was stolen -- I was left with nothing." But Horvath was lucky. His friendship with Sarkozy went back a long time, to the days when they were both soccer players on Freedom High's varsity squad. Sarkozy and some friends in Allentown called and asked if he'd be willing to return and be the front man for their band. Horvath agreed, returning last April to take up vocal chores for The Mob -- which besides drummer Sarkozy includes guitarists Joe Cecala and Dave Ozimek and bassist Bob Hafer. (The band performs tomorrow night at the Airport Music Hall in Allentown and Wednesday at the Boulevard Empire in Philadelphia.) "You can make it from anywhere," Horvath now believes.

The Mob recently completed a six-song demo. "We've given away 300 so far," said Horvath. "We just want to afford the kids a chance to hear something they like. The response at our performances has, so far, been good." The demo showcases a crisp-sounding band which needs to develop its songwriting but possessing a clear, strong-voiced singer in Horvath. Sound and tempos bring to mind a less pop-oriented Skid Row with a faint trace of the heavy progressive thud favored by Queensryche. Recently, The Mob has opened for Lansdale hard-rockers RoughHouse at the Music Hall and lite metal band Washed at the Green Pine Inn in Allentown. Headlining tomorrow night's show is Howe II, led by guitarist extraordinaire Greg Howe. The Easton-based combo is in the midst of promoting "High Gear," its new LP for Michael Varney's independent Shrapnel Records.

Greg Howe broke out of the regional pack in late 1988 when an all-instrumental debut solo album showcasing his incendiary style drew hysterical reviews in specialty guitar magazines. Fender Musical Instruments snapped him up for endorsements almost immediately and kept his face in the press with a continuing series of well-timed and conspicuous ads. "High Gear" has continued to build on Howe's reputation as a soloist. This time, however, he's backed by an orthodox heavy metal band which includes his brother, lead vocalist Al Howe. Howe II will wrap up the U.S. leg of its tour at the Music Hall. After a week off, Howe II departs for dates in Canada, Europe and Japan. The band isn't expected to return home until sometime in May. Fittingly, at the bottom of the bill is Yung Blud, a local glam-metal foursome which badly mimics the sounds of Poison, Bon Jovi and White Lion. Howe II, The Mob and Yung Blud perform tomorrow at the Airport Music Hall, K mart Shopping Plaza, Airport Road, Allentown. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are expected to be available. For information, call 433-6787. The Mob performs with Rebel Heart and Position on Wednesday night at the Boulevard Empire, 1715 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia. For information call: 338-6100.
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1. In for the Kill
2. Hell in Disguise
3. Never Want to Be Lonely
4. Angry Young Child
5. No Love
6. Save the World

[dclem]

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