Bram: When I think of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, it always brings a smile to my face. I’d gone to it years before I joined The Syndicate, so for a while, it was more or less a fun weekend getaway from New York with a guarantee to hang out with my friends in the industry and see both bands I liked and new ones to like even more. The metal industry is a close-knit group, and the cameraderie from hanging out there has resulted in friendships that remain to this day. There’s a ton of memories I have that took place that I would share, but I don’t think the statute of limitations has run out yet. Rich Hall of 1000 Knives in a shopping cart barreling down a hill comes to mind as one of them…

As far as events from the fest itself, I have a few. One was what Zach mentioned. Throwing the Metal Insider summit was a great way to launch the site, and informative and interesting for both those in attendance and the panelists themselves. And given that it got Zach interested in pursuing a career in music suggests that it really was beneficial to everyone that went. Musically, I’ll go with 2003. I used to be in a stoner rock band called Murder 1. In September of 2003, we got the opportunity of a lifetime to tour with Clutch for a few weeks. While that was amazing in and of itself, I was just as excited when finding out who the opening band was. I’d seen them just a few months before, playing the small room at the Palladium. As soon as Mastodon played the first note of “Crusher Destroyer,” I knew I had a new favorite live band. I’d been blown away by Remission, but their live show was even more bonkers.