Acey is maybe best known for his work alongside Slipknot's Joey Jordison in the "Motley Crue meets Misfits", (as they are usually described), glam horror freak show The Murderdolls. That band, which also included the popular ghoul/scribe/maniac Wednesday 13, put out only one record before taking a hiatus, the pretty much already classic Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls in 2002. For fans of sleaze, gloom and mischief it didn't get much better. Slade played "Tired 'N Lonely" (rhythm guitar) on the Roadrunner United date/CD for Roadrunner Records' 25-year anniversary with Jordison and kept hope alive for another Murderdolls bloodletting in the future.

Trashlight Vision followed the Murderdolls, another sleaze rock outfit with great, roaring tunes, but disbanded after one full-length. Still, Acey's playing in Trashlight was jagged and insistent, catchy even at its dirtiest. Acey's punk riffs leave you feeling young and crazed with blood pounding in your ears, whatever the hell is going on in your life. It's how electric guitar should be played in a punk rock band. Accept nothing less.

I'm half watching Chelsea Walls, an Uma Thurman movie about various inspired types lurking alluringly about the Chelsea Hotel and sipping Stella Artois as I write this, the TV glowing in the dim-lit room. The range of weirdy types in the film makes me miss New York City where I used to live and underscores how cool it is to have people like Acey representing in the name of the primal, tooth and nail, vitriol or bust spirit of the Big Apple's punk fucking rock past. Things may be blander for rock in New York unless you are one of the more inspired and manic, indie rock bands busting out all over Brooklyn these days, but it is nice to know some underground and bigger metal and punk inclined baddies haven't surrendered. New York needs to always have some of that spit, venom, and black humor.

Gwen Stefani and Slayer are the cited influences on the Acey Slade MySpace page for his new band, which is just going by the name of...Acey Slade! After touring with Wednesday 13 in 2008 Acey buckled down and got more serious about doing his own new band. He has written several EPs and has also collaborated with English drum and bass producer Shaun Morris (DJ Stakka), a fearless move for someone known mainly as a rocker. The new Acey songs carry real weight, just going for it hard with passion and feeling. It's a big sound that mixes the best of glam influences with the punk fans have come to love from Acey and newer, more industrial and subverted house music gutter finery. Vampiric fans are eagerly awaiting their chance to hear everything Acey's been stewing up when he releases his planned full-length this year The Dark Party.

While Acey is cream talent in his own right, he's also made some real mint choices in collaborators for his live band and on his post Trashlight recordings, not the least of which is the presence of a NYC scenester/guitar extraordinaire who just usually goes by Andee. Andee is known around town for his role as guitarist/vocalist in the witty, genre jumping and much missed L.E.S. night owls Pop*Star*Kids. Currently besides playing with Acey, Andee is rockin' the house with Black Sugar Transmission. Acey contributed vocals to Black Sugar Transmissions' recent song "I Dare You" and also got Andee on board for some of his new Acey Slade-specific band. You can hear Andee's shred/pop/avant weirdness compliment Acey perfectly on the liquefying space guitar runs that float so well atop the ringing punk chords and big dance beats of Acey's victorious punk/glam/dance smash and mash "Nothing's Gonna Change." There's something about the song, from Acey's recent limited run EP entitled Sex, Murder, Art, Baby!, that winks with junkie charm and sleaze while shedding it all into the motivating lyrics and gigantic club beat. If you've ever trolled around New York running ragged through the streets, drunk for days or up way too late past bedtime, the song will speak to that special place inside of you and hurt so good. It calls to mind the Big Black lyric from that band’s Steve Albini penned proto-industrial classic "Bad Houses" that goes “I tell myself I will not go, even as I drive there."

I caught up with a cordial and brilliantly witty Acey to get the juice on The Dark Party and as many good anecdotes as I could get this colorful personality to share. Oh yeah, and did I mention Acey is direct support for Combichrist on their upcoming initial touring for Today We Are All Demons? 'Nuff Said!

MORGAN Y. EVANS: Acey, you have a real presence on stage and a persona that connects with a lot of your fans looking for someone more real and interesting yet "artistic". I guess, having some flair, is what I mean. Of course some of your past projects like Murderdolls or Trashlight Vision were very visually aggressive or stood out, and you also have a background in graphic design. What I'm getting at though, is, ever think of making weird little movies like a David Bowie The Mam Who Fell To Earth type thing? Or is that too Daft Punk, nowadays?

ACEY SLADE: Wow! Thank you very much. Movie, well not writing a movie. Writing my video treatments is tough enough. But act in a movie, I would do that in a heartbeat. I would love to write a book though. I keep threatening to do that.

MYE: How did it feel to have your current "Acey Slade" band get such a well received reception when you debuted in NYC? I wish I could see you guys play the Trocadero in Philly next month. That's gonna be a seriously great room for you as well. What was your take on the band’s debut show?

AS: It was great that people liked the show, but from the beginning of this solo project [it] has been about making myself happy. If others like it too, that’s great. If they don’t well, I have no control over that. I love so many different styles of music and this is the first time I allowed myself to open up and try new things. Lucky for me, my fans get that and are open-minded people. Id rather be more defined by my actions than my music. I’d rather people say that I took a risk and tried something new, than say I wrote “Louie, Louie” or something vanilla that everyone “likes”.

MYE: You've just rocked out one limited edition EP in a short print run as a collector's item for fans called Sex, Murder, Art, Baby! What made you decide to do this? Was it a sort of mini-prelude to the forthcoming solo album? And what can you tell us about the planned EP She Brings Down The Moon? (Very pagan sounding title!)

AS: One thing that I wanted was for people to feel like they were involved in this from the start. Granted I’ve played in some pretty popular bands, and the easy thing for me to do would be to throw the album out there and capitalize on what I have built up. But, I mean...what’s exciting about that? Any band I’m a fan of, I always want to hear how they evolved. I want to hear their demos, etc. etc. And that was the idea with this. The first EP, S.M.A.B. first came out as a limited edition signed and numbered with all kinds of free giveaways. The next one will be She Brings Down the Moon. It won’t be limited edition, but it will have great packaging and some awesome extras not on the album, The Dark Party.

MYE: So, for those who don't know, you've recently started working with English drum and bass producer Shaun Morris (DJ Stakka) for your pending solo album The Dark Party. First of all, that's a great album name, I can't believe no one's thought of it before! It reminds me of Through The Looking Glass set with some heavy metal or Gothic post-modern/anarchic trappings. Like I think of you crashing the tea party in Alice In Wonderland and freaking out the freaks! What can we expect from the record and how was the working/writing/studio process? I know you are taking your time with it to make it just how you want. I was thinking of Big Audio Dynamite, which involved, of course, Mick Jones from the Clash after the Clash broke up. I like when "punk" musician's show solidarity with and aren't afraid to try other styles. It can only help to push new realms into existence, whether people like it or not.

AS: Working with Shaun was a way different experience. I’m used to taking a guitar riff into the practice room, jamming on it and then we have a song! With Shaun, who is a drum and bass producer, he would give me drum loops with key/bass/synth parts. I would pick out the ones I like, write a vocal melody to it and take it from there. Except a couple of songs, I did have ideas on before hand. I got the title and idea of the band from going to a few of those “VIP Nightclubs”. I remember one in Atlanta. I’m the only rock’n’roll guy there and I was just a fly on the wall. Everyone was having a great time dancing and getting loaded! But…it wasn’t my scene. Nice place to visit but wouldn’t want to live there, if you know what I mean. And so, that’s the idea with this. What if there was a party like that for the Dark Souls? So, you hit the nail on the head! Most of the people I admire took a chance. Stiv Bators did the Lords of the New Church. Andrew Eldritch (Sisters of Mercy) worked with Meatloaf’s producer—anyone want to argue that that wasn’t a great move? Mick Jones had the most successful post-Clash career of any of the members with B.A.D. And it’s becoming okay now, too! I mean you have someone like Rancid writing for Pink. AFI doing a goth album. When an artist is secure about themselves, they take a chance. That’s what I wanted to say with my new music.

MYE: Kick ass. How are you feeling about the upcoming tour with Combichrist? Their new Today We Are All Demons album is one of their best yet! I know you have worked with some Metropolis Records artists before when you were touring with Imperative Reaction. What industrial-influenced stuff "got" you growing up in formative years? You seem to enjoy a wide array of music. Like, your new song "Nothing's Gonna Change" has a great, looping beat and a great combination of punk and dance styles but with guitars and raw vocals still. Of course, when you played with the band Dope that group melded hard rock and industrial and the band even had that Dead or Alive "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" new wave/dance song cover land on the soundtrack to the great cult film American Psycho. (Who would've thought Christian Bale would be Batman someday after seeing him yell at the girl to eat the other one’s asshole in that movie!?)

AS: [laughing] Or don’t forget him in Velvet Goldmine! Wonder who ate the assholes there! [laughing]

MYE: [laughing]

AS: I grew up in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania. As a result, the punks, the goths and the metal kids all hung out together. Maybe we didn’t like exactly the same bands, but we did know that none of us shopped at Old Navy if you get my drift. There was just a handful of us. You have to remember, both Bauhaus and Hanoi Rocks were influenced by Bowie. So the whole goth scene and the rock’n’rollers come from the same place. And that’s where all the blood lines lead. Anyway, I’ve always seen all those styles of music as different parts of the same thing. Early on though I loved Chemlab, 16 Volt, Rosetta Stone, The Sisters of Mercy, Switchblade Symphony, obviously NIN. I would love to have my solo album compared to The Crow Soundtrack, and yes, for those of you reading this, this interview was done in 2009!

MYE: [laughing] I love that song "Golgotha Tenement Blues" by Machines Of Loving Grace on that soundtrack. Righteous. Now that we've talked some about electronic influences I'd love to get more of a picture of you as a kid getting into the darker side of rock’n'roll. How did it worm it's way into your heart?

AS: Well…see I was in this church play called “The Passion Play” as a kid. I always loved the crucifixion scene. There was all this fake blood and I remember watching peoples faces in the crowd. That’s what got a reaction out of them. None of the “passion”. So, my second concert was an Alice Cooper concert. In my naïve youth I just thought, “Oh, wow! This is cool. Kinda like church!” I’ll never forget my confusion when I went to go to school the next day and my mom freaked out over my Alice Cooper t-shirt. She made me change my clothes. [chuckles] I’ll bet if it was a “Passion Play” t-shirt she would have been okay with it. [chuckles] Anyway, dark shit always finds me. I go to the bookstore to find a book on German language and end up with Seduced By Hitler. Go figure.

MYE: I like the "Nothing's Gonna Change" lyrics in that they say "Nothing's gonna change if you don't make a change" and really delve into ideas of self-sabotage. At least, that was my interpretation. Can you tell us more about writing that one?

AS: I’m an addict. Recovering addict that is. Part of recovery and part of what I try to practice in my life is helping other people. But, sometimes you lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Or, in this case can’t make it stop. [chuckles] Anyway, if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll always get the same results.

MYE: That's true. That's why when I kicked a real bad habit over ten years ago I hadda just do it cold or would've always gone back if I couldn't get my confidence back on my own without rehab or any other shit like that. Well, if you don't mind another personal question...you just got hitched! You tied the knot with Anne Lindfjeld, model and MTV Denmark host in late 2008. First of all, how was the ceremony, and how did you meet in the first place? And, an obnoxious question...Are your female fans mad or happy for you?

AS: Well, I thought that was going to go into The Guinness Book Of World Records for the biggest wedding. I arranged to have it in the middle of the New York City Halloween parade in front of 4 million people! Unfortunately, it may be in Guinness for "The World's Shortest Marriage". [nervously chuckles] We are not together any longer. But, like I said, about “Nothings Gonna Change”. I’ve been a bachelor my whole life. I took a chance getting married, and while it didn’t work, I now know that I’m an awesome husband and can throw an awesome wedding! And I know I’m not afraid to make a commitment. Anyway, I couldn’t even think about dating someone, not for a long time, so...the police will have to keep the barricades of girls back a little longer. [laughs]

MYE: Recently, your onstage persona was copped by the makers of Rock Band 2, the huge video game! Harmonix, the game designers, modeled the singer of the punk band and guitarist of the rock band after you. Was it weird to become digital? How did it come about? Like, you've toured with really insane live bands like Amen who are legendary, even without you, for not fucking around and being crazed on stage, just raw. You're known for some wild behaviour yourself. Were they like, "This guy is out of his mind. He's the one", sort of thing?

AS: I think it’s more a “knowing how to turn it on and off”. My gift is being an entertainer. I know that, I’m great at it. After saying that, I’m also pretty normal. That’s why they liked me. I would be talking abut Dexter to the camera operators one minute then the next was nearly breaking their cameras with the guitar I used for the motion capture. I have my Jekyll and Hyde reasonably under control and that is an asset.

MYE: [laughing] Yeah, I know it can be a problem at times when it goes too far one way for anyone with impulses like that! Trashlight Vision was becoming really popular with the underground and had such a great, really dirty sound. I was wondering after that band broke up if it was hard deciding what to do next? If you don't mind me saying, I know some people were surprised when that band broke up. Everyone's glad you've kept so busy and giving people new music since.

AS: I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do next. I knew I wanted to try something totally new from scratch. I had met Shaun at the end of TLV and it was perfect. Exactly what I needed. I was destroyed by that band ending, which always has some creative outbursts—misery breeds creativity. But, I had no interest in forming a “band”. Shaun made it clear that he wouldn’t be in “the band” but act as a producer and co-writer. It was just what I needed, just when I needed it.

MYE: The Murderdolls project, which has been on hiatus for about five years or so now, still generates a lot of discussion. People just love the combination of characters in that band and it's great that all the other groups Murderdolls members have been involved in are unique and yet complimentary in insanity and sort of world out-look. It maybe shows why Murderdolls chemistry really connected to people who are still waiting for a second record.

AS: Yeah. Who knows! I love working with Joey. We had a great time with the whole Roadrunner United thing, so who knows. I agree though, you have five weird motherfuckers in that band. That’s for sure.

MYE: Ok, man, lastly, 2009 is here and nobody really knows what to expect yet. What's your feelings on the state of the world and the role of the artist these days at this time in history?

AS: Hummm. I don’t know either. I don’t really pay too much attention to new music or current history. Give me a cup of coffee, that bad ass Edgar Allen Poe book I found tonight, David Bowie’s Low and my world is fine!

MYE: THANKS A LOT, ACEY!