Jersey Thrashers Overkill To Play Rock Carnival Fest

Overkill - Rock Carnival

The Second Annual Rock Carnival, taking place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at First Energy Park in Lakewood, is cause for celebration. The event boasts a stellar lineup, bringing Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Overkill, Halestorm, Ace Frehley, Clutch, Doro Pesch and many more right to our backyard.

The Carnival aims to be family-friendly. In addition to music, there will be amusement rides, food trucks, picnic areas, pig races and pro wrestling. Adults can also enjoy the craft beer area. For more information, visit www.therockcarnival.com

The three-day festival is also great in that it spotlights plenty of New Jersey bands of different genres, including thrashers Overkill, psychedelic rockers Monster Magnet, former longtime Garden State resident and ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, a Zakk Wylde tribute to Black Sabbath titled Zakk Sabbath, and melodic rock merchants Trixter.

I recently had the pleasure of talking to Overkill frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth about the Rock Carnival, festivals in general and the veteran thrashers' upcoming new album, "Grinding Wheel," which is set for release next year.

You've played many festivals in Europe. What do you think of festivals in general, and the Rock Carnival here in New Jersey in particular?

The fests in general are great things. There's a different atmosphere about them. The idea is that it really is a party, like a reunion of old friends, for the bands and the fans. I think that Americans started it with Woodstock, then Europe picked up on it. To see one pop up in Jersey is a great thing. We have the demographic and the population and Jersey people are known for being very hard working. It's conducive to having a great festival, having a hard working, rock-and-roll community that wants to let loose.

This is the Second Annual Rock Carnival. Do you think it can last moving forward?

Sure. There are festivals that have been going for what has to be a decade now, like Rocklahoma and Rock on the Range. It has a lot to do with the demographic. At this price for what they're offering, I think for sure the Rock Carnival could happen year after year.

What makes for a successful festival?

No rain! I remember being in Romania once and it rained so much that the gear was in a foot-and-a-half of rain and the guy was like, 'you've got to play.' I was like, 'are you out of your mind! Do you understand none of this stuff is grounded!' But really what makes a good festival is weather, lineup and organization. That it goes off without a hitch and on time. That there's no, 'we have a little delay.' That really takes the air out of the balloon. The organization is really important.

Is there anyone you're excited to see in particular at the Rock Carnival?

I haven't seen Alice Cooper since I was a kid so I'm going to go down a night early to see him. To this day the Alice Cooper show always gets accolades.

What's behind the title of your upcoming new album, Grinding Wheel"

When we were looking for a title, when you think in terms of the word grind, you think of something that is relentless and doesn't wear down, whether it be an old stone mill or something metallic where sparks are flying through it. It's about an all-purpose tool through all time. It's a good, quality, Overkill record.

Overkill's first album was released in 1985 and "Grinding Wheel" will be your 18th. At what point did you think to yourself that you could make a career out of playing thrash metal?

When it first happens, getting a record deal and going on tour, you're just happy to get anything. But to have longevity, you have to separate the passion of what it's all about and what the business is.

I think somewhere in the early 90s, when we saw everything changing, that the grunge stuff was coming in, that there was much less interest from the major labels, we had to start reinventing ourselves. Not musically, but with regards to business, and search out the right deals and the right gigs.

We took on self-management. I think that's when I realized hey, this is actually sustainable. Maybe that's part of the Jersey hard work thing. You think, there's always a way. Let's figure this thing out.

We had the experience to self-manage. We were brought up under good wings. There's the passionate side of being a kid in a metal band and you have to keep that throughout your entire career. You have to think that somewhere inside you, even in your 50s, you're 19 again. But there's another side of yourself that realizes you've got to balance the books.