The other day I got a package in the mail and it was the newest CD from Bloody Mess called: “Mountain Rock” by The Bloody Mess Rock Circus.

I’ve known Bloody for decades and started thinking about what a history this guy has. He’s done a lot in his life and it all started with punk rock right here in Peoria, Illinois. I asked Bloody to write up some highlights and history of his colorful life and here it is! Take it away, Bloody!

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I've been doing "IT" since early 1983. Screaming the blues. My first band was Chips Patroll. Doing hardcore punk/thrash stuff. We changed our name to The Unaccepted. Played shows with bands like The Necros & M.I.A. In places like Chicago, Springfield, and Peoria.

After being kicked out of the band, I started Bloody Mess & Hate (in 1985.) Doing obnoxious punk covers and hardcore punk rock originals. We played shows with bands like G.G. Allin, A.O.D., Happy World, Naked Raygun, and 10-96. We traveled to places like Champaign, Illinois, Creve Coeur, and Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Where I made some great friends for life.)

In 1988, Bloody Mess & The Skabs were formed. I spent the next 8 years, in a revolving door of musicians and utter chaos. The band was signed to Black & Blue Records and we did many 7 inch records, albums and CD's.

We played and toured with bands like: Beautiful Burt & The Crotch Crickets, Safe Sex, Rednecks In Pain, Psycho and many more. We performed our shows in New York City, Philadelphia, Delaware, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Davenport, Indianapolis, Cleveland and a whole lot more.

During this era, I appeared on the Nationally syndicated Phil Donahue TV show, as well as Rolonda. Myself and the band were featured in a TV show out of England called Passengers at one point, and I also was a guest on a BBC radio program (and was even paid for it!).

The band made newspaper headlines both locally and nationally when art was used on our first record, which was drawn by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. More articles appeared when serial killer Kenneth Bianchi (one of The Hillside Strangler killers) created the poster art for our "Empty" EP. I do NOT condone serial killers. These days, I have ZERO interest in those dark, negative people and actions. But I cannot erase history.

**The infamous Bloody Mess & The Skabs EP with the original John Wayne Gacy art on the cover.**

The band were banned more often than not from clubs, halls and parties, because of destructive stage shows and all around chaos and debauchery. After burning the flag onstage in Davenport, Iowa, the band made the front page of at least 5 different newspapers in Iowa and Illinois.

Death threats came (and went.) I quit the band in 1993 (or was it 94?) during the Hungover & Stoned East Coast tour. Enough was enough. Shit, at last count I think the group went through 34 different band members!

I decided to check out the outlaw country scene. In 1995 I assembled a band and wrote/recorded The Bloody & The Country Trash Punks 7 inch record. (For Baloney Shrapnel Records in Phoenix, Az.) The record was premature really, in the vocal department, as my education in doing country vocals was still to come. Never-the-less, it's a cool little record, with fantastic musicianship. Steel guitars and all.

Next, in 1996, I formed a working outlaw country band. The Renegades. We promptly learned 40 or so songs, covers of classic country hits, from Johnny Cash, Waylon, Willie, David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard, Freddy Fender, Hank Junior, etc. and we played a shitload of gigs in Illinois. We played every honky tonk, redneck dive and even the "Dew Drop Inn" in Peoria. 75 shows in all! The shows were 4 sets a night, at least twice a week. Had a lot of fun and it was cool learning to sing.

The parallel between punk & outlaw country is obvious. The big difference is the beat and the twang. I finally grew tired/bored of doing this type of music and the band quietly morphed into a rock band called The Vaynes. We learned cool rock covers by The Doors, Bay City Rollers, Bowie, The Clash, Blondie, Deep Purple, The Stones and more. We played in bars...lots of bars!

Saw many fights, drank lots of liquor and started to want to rock out harder. And I grew very sick of being in a fucking cover band. It was fun though. I was paid well. But those scenes made me want to vomit after awhile. The Vaynes morphed into Bloody & The Vaynes and what a band! We did some punky-ass hard rock and delivered a killer "live" performance always!

We played Cleveland, Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin and recorded an amazing CD for Black & Blue Records. One of the songs from that CD, "My Black Little Heart", started gaining national airplay and was even in regular rotation on Rock 106 here in Peoria. It was sweet!

We opened a show for Nazareth once in Peoria and I was kicked out eventually for lots of reasons. One was that I annoyed the band.(Nazareth) I was so drunk that I kept telling them I was "the singer of the opening band". After the umpteenth time, they were livid. It was funny. Their drummer dropped dead two weeks later. (RIP Daryll Sweet.)

In 1999, I ended up getting a job as a radio DJ. I liked it a lot and created a two hour Sunday night show called “The Church of Rock”. I got ordained as a non-denominational minister. I started performing wedding ceremonies and have done around 18 marriages. I got so into radio that I quit the Vaynes. I became Reverend Derek Moody (on the radio) and enjoyed a full time radio gig from six to midnight in Bloomington, Il., at WIHN (I-Rock). I have performed around 23 weddings.

**Bloody in his Reverend Derek Moody DJ persona.**

I was there three years and also did part time radio for years. It afforded me the luxury of hanging out with, interviewing and meeting cool people like Alice Cooper, Ron Asheton from The Stooges, Richie Stotts of The Plasmatics, Hank 3, Zakk Wylde and many more. I left radio in around 2007 when the 4th incarnation of The Church Of Rock went bye-bye.

Around this time the Bloody Mess tribute CD—”Bloody & The Bastard Children" was released. Lots of cool bands covered my songs and I even got to add two brand new originals to that album. One (“Rock ‘n’ Roll Scallywag") was co-written by myself & Wes Beech of The Plasmatics! This album inspired me to get back into doing music again.

In 2003 I formed Bloody & The Transfusions, an awesome punky rock 'n' roll act that played many gigs in its five year span. We did two tours of Texas, played all over the Midwest and recorded a full length CD for Black & Blue Records, that I'm quite proud of.

In 2008 Bloody Mess & The New Disease formed for a nearly one year run. We recorded a self-titled five song EP and released it ourselves, and its a record I'm quite proud of. Listening to it loud is a great anger management session. (Or some shit like that...)

The New Disease and I played some killer shows and a few that BLEW ASS. Detroit, Kenosha, Moline, St. Louis, Peoria, Pekin...Good times. Great band. (If you want a copy of the ep...contact me!) The New Disease and I called it quits after our last gig in Pekin at Barf Belly's. I mean Beer Belly's. It was a mutual decision within three fourths of the band.

2011 saw my migration to the West Coast of America, and beautiful southern Oregon became my official new home. My Church Of Rock radio show made a return to the airwaves, and it's West Coast debut, on KZZE FM radio. (The show lasted nearly 2 years here.)

I became the lead singer of a band called The Hollowbodys. (They have had many incarnations, and still continue, with a new line-up as of this writing.) Bloody Mess & The Hollowbodys did one tour of the USA and a "live" CD was released on Black & Blue Records, as well.

Next, The Bloody Mess Rock Circus came to life, and this band did one USA tour and recorded a full length CD entitled, "Mountain Rock", which was released on the Death Angle Absolution Records label. This CD is my official 30th anniversary album! It was produced by Rikk Agnew (Christian Death, Social Distortion, D.I., The Adolescents) and features guests: Richie Ramone (The Ramones), Don Bolles (The Germs) and Paul Roessler (The Screamers/45 Grave).

My current project is a band called Bloody & The Backstabbers and we are doing shows in southern Oregon only, and very rarely. Most of my time is spent these days, studying and practicing the Hindu religious/spiritual scriptures and lifestyle, as well as Buddhist studies and I'm a lover of Mother nature. Thank you and much love to my beloved gurus Paramahansa Yogananda and Ram Dass. I've discovered more meaning and a better high to life finally. I'm focused on a lot more than just music. My spoken word album ("Transcend") will be self-released this Winter of 2015 (limited edition CD only, for now) and my part-time blues/blues rock band is nearly off the ground as well.

I've gotten into the world of acting and have appeared in four films, since coming to Oregon, and the films are: Creeper, Covet They Neighbor, Bar B Girls and A Courage Of Two. I co-wrote the title track to the Creeper movie and our song is on the soundtrack, and I co-wrote the title track for the Spidarlings movie (UK). I continue to life life in a positive manner, and I firmly believe that the "Good Ol' Days" are right here, right now.

And so that brings us to now. What does the future hold? Who knows? Life is an open book.

Long live underground rock.

Check out www.bloodyfmess.com for more information and you can purchase his CD’s there too.

Bloody Mess & The Hollowbodys - “Tramp Stamp Blues”

Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!