My Life With Deth (30 page)

Killing Machine
(2006)

This opportunity came to me initially through drummer John Dette and vocalist James Rivera. I knew James from his Helstar days, as they opened for Megadeth in the 1980s and I produced an EP for them in 1993. I loved the songs on this album and the band had a great recording lineup. This also included Juan Garcia, whom I had known from 1983, when he was in a band called Abattoir. He played some of the first Megadeth shows in San Francisco in 1984. We never toured this band, as it was mostly an album project with veteran metal musicians.

Temple of Brutality,
Lethal Agenda
(2006)

Peter Scheithauer was the writer of the Killing Machine material, but before we recorded that album he wanted to do a Temple of Brutality record. I think Peter felt that ToB was more thrash metal in style, and a better fit in that era’s metal scene. Once we got in the studio to record in Fort Myers, Florida, we had a total blast together and couldn’t wait to get the band out on the road. We did some touring the following year and the group was ferocious live, with a great thrash and punk attitude.

Avian,
From the Depths of Time (2005)

Avian started in 2003 when I produced a song for writer Yan Leviathan at the Saltmine Studios in Mesa, Arizona, close to my home.
From there, Yan got excited about completing a full-length album. So I helped him produce it, brought in most of the musicians, and played bass on the album for him. It also led to a working relationship with former Balance of Power vocalist Lance King, who sang on the album and was able to help with its production once I got busy with F5 the following year.

HEARTFELT THANK-YOUS GO OUT TO:

God; my mother, Frances Ellefson, and my brother, Eliot Ellefson; my wife, Julie, and my children, Roman and Athena Ellefson; John and Lucille Foley and the entire Foley family; and all the folks who kindly contributed their stories and editorials to this book, including Frank Bello, Pastor Jon Bjorgaard, Randy Blythe, Chris Broderick, Rex Brown, Alice Cooper, Shawn Drover, Marty Friedman, Greg Handevidt, Glenn Hughes, Scott Ian, Kerry King, Fred Kowalo, Mike Kroeger, Ron Laffitte, Dave McRobb, Chris Poland, Jesse Reeves, and Jay Reynolds.

Mark Abbattista, Mark Adelman, Bruce Adolph, Steve Bailey, Tony Bass, Jim Beaugez, Chuck Behler, Karl Bergstrom, Ray Berry, Ron Bienstock, Scott Bird, Kyle Borman, Paul and Susan Brandt, Corey Brennan, Jim Brennan, Greg Carlson, Jim Carroccio, Jeff Cary, Frank Casanova, Max and Gloria Cavalera, Mike Clink, Bryan Coleman, Steve Conley, John Dallmus and family, John Davis, Jimmy DeGrasso, Jeremy DePena, Ryan Downey, Doug Dreyer, Tamra Feldman, the Fiala family, Paul Fisher, David Fishof, Jonathan Foster, Brett Fredrickson, Ethan Frier, Mike Gaube, Willie Gee, Tom Gibbons, Jerry Giefer, Brent
Giese, Bob Goheen, Larry Hartke, Byron Hontas, Stet Howland, Mark Hudson, John Jackson, Jimmy Jacobs, Val Janes, Jaison John, Angie and Al Jourgensen, Matt Kees, Randy Kertz, Andreas Kisser, Mike LaTronico, Bill Leigh, Troy Lucketta, Kirk Martin, Larry Mazer, Brian McDonald, Lee Meecham, Mark Menghi, Nick Menza, Tony Moscal, the Neuenschwander family, Daryl “Barney” Olson, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Al Pitrelli, Keith Rawls, Jon Rayvid, Mike Renault, Pat Ritchie, Jon Romanowski, Peter Scheithauer, Brad Schmidt, Jim Schmidt, the Sether family, Rob Shay, Doug Short, Rat Skates, Mark Slaughter, Dave Small, Rod Smallwood, Billy Smiley, Andy Somers, Michael Spriggs, Dale Steele, Fran Strine, Doug Thaler, Scott Uchida, Mr. Udo, Jon Vesley, Randy Walker, Jeff Waters, Todd Weber, Mary Ann Werner and her family, Scott Wesley Brown, Jason Witte, Steve Wood, Bill Xavier, Jeff Yonker, Jeff Young, Danny Zelisko.

Dr. Wollenberg and all at Concordia Seminary, Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church and School, the Christian Musician Summit, all the teachers and staff of the Jackson, Minnesota, school system, CCV, the friends of Bill W. worldwide.

Bass Guitar Magazine
,
Bass Player
magazine, Beamz Interactive, EMG, ETA, Hartke, Jackson Guitars, Jim Dunlop, NSFC, Peavey Electronics, Peterson Tuners, Planet Waves, Shure, SIT Strings.

Anthrax, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Metallica, Nickelback, Slayer, Slipknot.

ADDITIONAL THANKS GO OUT TO:

My agent, Lisa Gallagher; Matthew Hamilton; Joel McIver; Philis Boultinghouse; and everyone at Howard Books for believing.

Dave Mustaine, for all the years of musical brotherhood.

In memory of my father, Gordon G. Ellefson; Craig S.; and Gar Samuelson.

Abattoir (band),
160
,
221

Abbattista, Mark,
166

Abbott, Darrell (aka Dimebag Darrell, Diamond Darrell),
81

AC/DC,
100

“Ace of Spades,” (Motörhead song),
166

“A Course in Miracles” (religious teachings),
204

Adler, Chris,
169

Adler, Steven,
71
,
73

A Drug For All Seasons
(F5 album),
221

Aerosmith,
76
,
83
,
86
,
95
,
107
,
108
,
109
,
136

Agent Steel,
160

Albert, Mike,
55
,
56
,
57
,
58

Alice in Chains,
101
,
119

Alive!
(KISS album),
6

American Carnage tour,
191
,
195

American InterContinental University, Illinois,
159

American Pie
(movie),
138

Ampeg amplifiers,
10
,
123
,
145
,
147

Anaheim, California,
165
,
183
,
189

Anaheim Convention Center,
198

“Anarchy in the U.K.,”
218

Annihilator,
82

Anselmo, Phil,
82

Anthrax,
53
,
63
,
101
,
117
,
136
,
162
,
181
,
196
,
197
,
198

Appetite for Destruction
(Guns N’ Roses album),
79

April Wine,
32

Araya, Tom,
191

Arch Enemy,
160

Armored Saint,
117

Armory, The (venue in Jackson, Minnesota),
6
,
8

Arnold, Ron,
165

Atco (record label),
82

“A Tout le Monde,”
118

Avian (band),
157
,
221

Babys, The (band),
161

Bain, Jimmy,
89

Balance of Power,
222

Barnes, Todd,
160

Bass Institute of Technology,
33
,
35
,
38
,
41

Bass Player
(magazine),
120
,
196

Bass Player Live,
196

Bay, Mel,
8

B.C. Rich Guitars,
24
,
25
,
37
–38,
56
,
58
,
59

Bachman, Randy,
5

Bachman Turner Overdrive,
5
,
9
,
13

“Ballroom Blitz” (The Sweet song),
4

Bay City Rollers,
8

Beatles,
164
,
179

Behind The Music
,
138
,
177

Behler, Chuck,
68
,
80
,
82

Bello, Frank,
197

Benatar, Pat,
137
,
162

Berlin, Jeff,
33

Berry, Ray,
190

Big Four of thrash metal,
63
,
181
,
185
,
190
,
196
,
198

Bittner, Jason,
165

Bjorgaard, Pastor Jon,
175
,
176
–177,
202

Black Country Communion,
164

“Black Friday,”
45

Blackmore, Ritchie,
45

Black Sabbath,
46
,
95
,
115
,
211

Bloomington, Minnesota,
10
,
14

Blythe, Randy,
169
–170

Bogert, Tim,
33

Boleyn, Ann,
44

Bon Jovi,
85
,
109

Booker T & the MGs,
164

Braunstein, Ron,
see
Necro (rapper)

British Steel
(Judas Priest album),
182