Put on your headphones. Open your minds. David Lee Roth is back…
Just a day after releasing his Eddie Van Halen tribute song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill” Roth returned with an online interactive comic called The Roth Project. The seventeen-chapter audio novel features narration and Sumi-e art by Roth along with original music and story enhancing sound effects. The Van Halen News Desk had a chance to view The Roth Project and it is, as Dave likes to say, a “mind roasting” experience.
Roth’s illustrations are beautifully mixed in with animation by Colin Smith. It also features five brand new songs written by Roth and guitarist John 5. The songs “Giddy Up”, the aforementioned “Somewhere Over the Bar and Grill..”, “Alligator Pants”, “Lo-Rez Sunset” and “Manda Bala” were recorded with former David Lee Roth solo band members Greg Bissonette (drums) and Brett Tuggle (keys & background vocals). Luis Conte adds percussion while John 5 plays both guitar and bass on the songs. The instrumental score was written by Roth.
It hasn’t been confirmed but the handful of new tracks are likely the same ones Roth and John 5 recorded with Bissonette and Tuggle back in 2007. You can read more about those sessions HERE.
The Roth Project can be found on its own website TheRothProject.com where you can choose to experience the visual/audio story in either stereo or 5.1 surround sound. The program allows you to manually navigate through chapters, zoom in and out of images plus choose how you’d like to experience your adventure – with DLR dialogue only, with music only or with both dialogue and music together.
Another interesting feature of The Roth Project is the the paperback option which allows you to scroll through and read each chapter at your own pace. You can also hear two full hours of exclusive paperback option only instrumental music.
All of this and more is explained in The Roth Project Tutorial below:
Below is a sampling of The Roth Project. This is chapter four titled “Bad News Waiting To Be Delivered”. The opening line includes the title of Roth’s last album recorded with Van Halen – 2012’s “A Different Kind of Truth”.
BAD NEWS WAITING TO BE DELIVERED..
Out here in the territory, we live by a different kind of truth,
this is the dark ocean.
Eat thy neighbor,
abandon all hope ye who enter and don’t back up,
severe tire damage.
Me? I’m carefully programmed bad news waiting to be delivered.I’m an equal opportunity affliction.
Steel toes and a distant concern.
I’m a tek 9 in South Miami,
And if I produce it, someone’s losing it.
I’m a verdict of life plus forever,
and no jury’s gonna convince me different.
I’m a morally insolvent animal act.
No stars above me,
skies bible black.
I’m more dangerous than a new pair of sneakers at an inner city school.
I am not the art of letting things alone.
I am not the son of Satan,
I am the devil’s son in law.
I’m all you can eat, at the fuck you buffet.
A great black wave of consequence,
every goddamn day.
I am Moby Dick in a goldfish bowl,
swimming just off the port bow
of your 4 star, ass clown, garage-a-trois.
I am a black power hogzilla, steel belted radial strap on
in offroad mid-level fury and turned up to stun.
I am ancient tales of the demon Baku,
Eater of dreams.
Ok, just kidding about the Baku part;
gave the kid his first job..Enough of the prelim’s,
this wasn’t rocket surgery,
every day down here’s a rainy day,
you don’t save up,
stay frosty,
manda bala…YUKICHIGAI
Miss-directionPresenting the Christmas-Early Sniper Team
led by captain jiminy Christmas and his spotter, easy early, with their team of highly trained, international covert operators pictured below. this is the only existing photograph of the entire team…
unfortunately, due to operational security
we are prohibited from depicting any likeness or visual descriptive pertaining to mission parameters.
sorry.Hello welcome wagon, this is neighborhood watch and tonight’s going to be a good night…
Now it’s time to say goodnight to all our company…
Brother Theresa here fellas. All dressed up and ready to fall in love…
M-I-C… yo, see this Motherfucker..?
See what? I don’t want look…
Ting, you out there?
I am the God of Hellfire, and I bring you…
Stop: Now your name’s too long…
I like better, now you call me too long,
That’s what she said.
I ain’t using that nickname on the radio.
No, I prefer. No more only last name “Ting”.
You all have nickname… I want also.
You make shitty joke, but this time I keep.
From now on I insist, you call me “too long Ting…”
I’m gonna throw up.
K-E-Y… Why? fuck ya’ll… thats why…
You’re kidding, is that the…
Shut up, I love this song…
Listen to that voice…
Hey man, what did music ever do to you?
That voice reminds me of overdue dentist appointments…
Do they have dentists in the navy?
You’d never know it…
Ok, here we go…
Oorah Marines, sir!
Hooah, Be all you can be in the army…
They let him in the Navy?
No, he snuck in. But they let him stay…
Clearly not because of his shooting.
‘Cause his singing voice was mutiny on the high C!!
I’m gonna barf
Okay we’ll be right back after these next few gunshots…
Don’t go away,
We’ll shoot you…
Don’t make him angry,
I’ve seen him shoot a guy…
You gotta be kidding…
From 800 yards out, thru a window, thru the pillow
and right behind the divan.
Christ, right behind the divan, that’s gotta hurt…
AARRRGH {sounds of vomiting}
CHAPTERS:
- How About A Little Fire Scarecrow?
- Meanwhile…
- Nobody’s Dying In My Helicopter Tonight…
- Bad News Waiting To Be Delivered
- Christmas Early
- Pink Mist
- The Missionary’s Daughter
- Bad Moo Heat And Serve
- No Dude, Seriously, Fuck You
- Tiger Step, Between Walls
- Bohica
- Chaos
- A Secret Empire
- The Dark Ocean Society
- Knock Knock
- All Pastel And Watercolory
- Let’s Talk