Greetings! You've reached Paul "Pellaz" Cashman's website!


This personal site has existed since c. 1995, and is one of the oldest consistently updated personal sites on the Web

Site last updated 21 September 2024

Direct links: my Facebook profile

My Twitter account (seldom used)

My email address: pellaz1 -at- comcast -dot- net.

Right-click here and download my 30-minute guest deejay appearance as the "Ultimate Sinner" on Sirius/XM satellite radio "Ozzy's Boneyard" channel!

Right-click here and download my 47-minute guest deejay "Listener Domination" appearance on Sirius/XM satellite radio's Liquid Metal channel!

Upcoming Events For Me

Upcoming EventDate(s)Comments
Visits to Six Flags Over Georgia and Whitewater Park (in-season) 2024 season I have a legacy Diamond membership for all Six Flags parks, as well as free parking, so this has been a good, relatively inexpensive way to have some fun, get out of the house and get some exercise, and get wet during the summer months!

If you're interested in coming along or meeting up, whether on your own pass or as a guest of mine (I can get anyone in for a discount), email me or contact me on Facebook!
Roadtrips up to Blue Hole Ocoee swimming hole, just upriver from the site of the now-destroyed Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, TN The Blue Hole portion of the river is accessible past the ruins of the OWC. The annual tradition dating back to c. 1994 will continue, with roughly biweekly, two-day trips up to this most-excellent swimming hole in the Tennessee mountains. Fresh mountain water that's usually clear and reasonably warm, underwater tunnels you can swim through, sections that are up to 14 feet deep, lots of snorkeling and fish to see...it's a great place for a summertime escape. (But don't go on weekends thru mid-September, since the Tennessee Valley Authority flows the river high for rafting and kayaking.)
The destruction by fire of the Ocoee Whitewater Center means fewer amenities (like, no nearby bathrooms with running water), but the swimming hole has been accessible past the Center ruins.
Dragon*Con, in downtown Atlanta Labor Day Weekend, 2024 37 years of DragonCon, and I've been there every year from before the very beginning...until the 2020 COVID cancellation, anyway. I'll be staying at the Sheraton again in 2024 for the event.
ProgPower USA, at Center Stage Atlanta September, 2024 I've sponsored bands for this festival since ProgPower USA III, including Devin Townsend's first-ever solo performance, Nightwish's first U.S. performance, Tyr, Orphaned Land, Green Carnation, and amazingly, Therion twice. I'm the longest-running band sponsor at the fest and, along with the mighty Tim Hurd, we originally helped procure the venue for Glenn H. and the festival.
"Regular, cheap" cruise to the Caribbean On Carnival Celebration, October 2024 We really enjoyed our cruise on the Mardi Gras, which is the same class, so this should be great as well.
70,000 Tons of Metal cruise aboard Independence of the Seas Late January, 2025 I'm booked on this again, my 9th time as a "Survivor"!
I first went on this cruise in Jan. 2015....and it was awesome, so I went again from 2016 thru 2020, then 2023 and 2024...and I'm going again in 2025!
60 bands, 4 stages, 5 days and 4 nights on one of the larger cruise ships afloat. It's expensive -- compared to a "regular" cruise, anyway -- but it's a lot of fun! And for what we're getting, it's not too outlandishly priced compared to other themed cruises.
ChattaCon, in Chattanooga TN mid-January 2025 An annual tradition for me now since c. 1990. Oriented toward traditional literary (written-word) SF and fantasy, it's a great SF convention of the old school, with an excellent consuite, art show, etc. After the madding crowds at DragonCon, it's nice to go to something a lot smaller, friendlier and more intimate. I've only missed two in-person Chattacons since c. 1990.


Recommended Sites, Merchants, Places, etc

The following places have earned my recommendation for the reasons shown:

UpdatedPast happenings, news, and updated pages
September 21, 2024 Blue Hole Page updated with revised schedule, a potential rare Sunday visit.
September 21, 2024 Reading list updated!
September 21, 2024 WREK 91.1 FM weekly WREKage radio broadcast playlists updated. You can listen to the archive for up to two weeks by going to www.wrek.org. For older shows and in-studio band interviews, contact me and I can make nearly any show from the last nine years available.
September 10, 2024 Photos added from ProgPower USA 2024:
General photos
Dark Tranquillity
Amorphis
Damian Wilson
September 6, 2024 Photos and a few videos posted from DragonCon 2024 in this Facebook album.
July 30, 2024 La Plata Rail Days index page updated!
February 18, 2024 Photos and videos posted in Facebook albums from 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise Jan. 29-Feb. 2nd:
November 19, 2023 Photos and videos posted in Facebook albums from my trip to Atlantis Bahamas, while staying at the adjacent Comfort Suites:
November 19, 2023 (snorkeling videos added)
Photos and a video or two posted in Facebook albums from our cruise on Carnival Horizon to Aruba, Bonaire, La Romana and Amber Cove:
September 18, 2023 Photos and a couple of videos posted from the ProgPower USA Festival here in Atlanta:
September 14, 2023 DragonCon 2023 photos posted to a Facebook public gallery!
September 14, 2023 Blue Hole Ocoee page (www.BlueHoleOcoee.com) finalized for Summer 2023 roadtrips up to "my" swimming hole in Tennessee!

Despite the destruction of the Ocoee Whitewater Center by fire in April 2022, the swimming hole is accessible, but you must enter the day parking area via the lower (western) gate; then walk up the driveway next to US 64 across the old short-term lot in front of the Center. You can then descend to river level via the stairs or ramp east of the OWC ruins. According to Forest Rangers onsite, the usual $3 day-use fee still applies. You can obtain day passes or $30 12-month Forest passes online at Recreation.Gov.
A direct index to all of my photos, videos, annual itineraries and recaps is located here!

June 30 or so, 2023 YouTube playlist from "unofficial" La Plata Rail Days 2023 added!

The official Rail Days event had to be cancelled -- the railpark property had been put up for sale -- but, being stubborn, many of us decided to come anyway between June 22-26. Besides, we had hotel reservations at the nearby, and awesome, Depot Inn, and didn't want those going to waste!
Virtual Railfan -- www.virtualrailfan.com -- has three popular cameras at La Plata ,and over one hundred cameras across North America. I am honored to be a live-chat moderator on YouTube for their live feeds. The RR lookout and the railpark are courtesy of The American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation (APRHF), at www.aprhf.org, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

February 7, 2023 Photos and snorkeling videos from the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise added as albums on Facebook!
November 6, 2022 Snorkeling videos from Grand Cayman -- cruise excursion from our Carnival Horizon cruise -- are now posted to YouTube in this playlist.
October 20, 2022 Photos and one video posted on Facebook from Oct. 9th cruise on Carnival Horizon!
See also a later update with snorkeling videos posted to YouTube.
July 5, 2022 La Plata Rail Days 2022 combined photos/videos page created! I had a great time with awesome online friends and a LOT of trains.
June 8, 2022 Photos and one video from ProgPower USA 2022 posted!
Feb. 28th, 2022 Photos and one video from my cheap ($35/pp) cruise on Carnival Sunrise Feb. 17th are now posted here in this FB album!
November 16, 2021 Atlantis Bahamas trip Youtube playlist added!
Photos as well as vids are in this public album on Facebook.
October 20, 2021 Pics and vid posted from Carnival Mardi Gras cruise, 10/09 - 10/16, in FB albums:
July 2, 2021 Photos and videos from my trip to La Plata Rail Days posted! I had a great time and almost got swept away by a severe thunderstorm! Facebook seems to have removed the ability to create a media album, so this is a FB post with the vids and photos in it. Here is a YouTube video playlist.
February 15, 2021 My favorite books and series updated -- for the first time since 2004!
March 7th, 2020 Photos from Devin Townsend's March 6th performance posted on Facebook. As usual, you never know what to expect from Devy!
This was the last performance I was able to witness before the pandemic shut things down (the tour was cancelled just a few dates later)...but what a great show to end things on!
February 23, 2020 Photos from Blue Oyster Cult Feb. 23 uploaded to Facebook. This was a remarkable performance from B.O.C. since co-headliner UFO had to cancel, and B.O.C. performed two sets with an intermission. My only regret was not getting to chat with my friend Eric B. afterwards, but after THAT performance I could hardly mind too much. (It was nice chatting with Buck Dharma and his wife, though.)
February 21, 2020 Photos from AnachroCon uploaded to Facebook.
January 16, 2020 Facebook galleries added from the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise in early January, 2020: It was pretty awesome...very late announcements and bookings not withstanding. In retrospect we were very lucky indeed to have gone on this sailing, with COVID-19 shutdowns only a short time later!
November 14, 2019 Photos and videos added on Facebook from trip to Atlantis Bahamas, whilst staying at the Comfort Suites hotel next door because it's better and cheaper, and guests there enjoy full access to the Atlantis resort:
Photos and video from Atlantis' aquascape.
Videos from Predators Lagoon and The Dig (aquarium), including a full walk-through of the latter (a $40 value! :) ).
"Outside" photos from Atlantis and the marina
Videos from the River Rapids. It is NOT a "lazy" river.
POV videos from the water-park's slides.
Videos from the snorkeling portion of my excursion with Stuart's Cove.
Videos from the snuba portion of my excursion. Note that the colors in the videos are a lot less vibrant than they were in person.
Overall it was a pretty awesome visit, but not much has changed at Atlantis in the last six years. I was glad I booked one extra day this year, as the weather on Saturday was rainy and also VERY windy.
November 4, 2019 Photos and videos added from Mass Destruction Metal Fest 2019 in Atlanta, Day 2, featuring Sigh (Japan).
Click here.
This was actually Sigh's first performance in the US in 9 years, AND this was a one-off performance. It was even better than I had expected!
October 26, 2019 Photos and videos added from cruise on Carnival Magic:
General cruising pics
Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk
Aruba
Curacao
It was overall a fun trip, but VERY long.
September 17, 2019 Photos posted from trip to the Netherlands to see Ayreon perform one of my favorite concept albums, Into the Electric Castle, live. What an amazing, transcendent experience! Worth every overpriced-airfare penny!
February 7, 2019 "General" photos from the 2019 sailing of the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise are now posted here!
November 23, 2018 Videos from trip to Atlantis Bahamas posted on YouTube!
October 21, 2018 Index to photos and videos from cruise on Carnival Magic posted!
September 13, 2018 Photo galleries posted to Facebook: ProgPower USA XIX photos and photos from our visit to the Center For Puppetry Arts and its current Dark Crystal special exhibit.
March 17, 2018 Pics from Sabaton/Kreator at the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta added to Facebook as an album.
February 18, 2018 Photos from AnachroCon 2018 are now posted in this public photo gallery on Facebook.
February 9, 2018 Index to 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise 2018 photo albums posted on Facebook:
December 8, 2017 Index to recent photo albums posted on Facebook:
October 10, 2017 Photos and a video posted from Carnival Vista cruise October 1st!
February 10, 2017 70,000 Tons of Metal Photo Albums posted:
November 17, 2016 Pics posted from snuba excursion during trip to the Bahamas, Nov. 14th 2016
November 17, 2016 I took two videos during the snuba excursion I took during my trip to the Bahamas: here's Part 1 and Part 2.
October 18, 2016 Pics posted from cruise on Carnival Conquest, Oct 9th-15th
September 25, 2016 Pics posted from SlaughterQue 2016 at the Masquerade
Feb. 11th, 2016 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise pics posted!
They're on my Facebook profile, public, in three parts. Enjoy!
November 26th, 2015 I hosted Listener Domination on Sirius XM satellite radio's Liquid Metal channel, 5 songs of my choosing, and I chose some long ones!
Here is an edited video I took of the segment, and you can right-click and download here for the mp3 sent to me by Sirius XM of my appearance.
It's about 47 minutes long and includes songs from Dimmu Borgir, Keep of Kalessin, Fear Factory, Opeth, and an epic 16-minute instrumental masterpiece from the band Equilibrium. :)
April 28th, 2015 I just received a "true" mp3 copy of my appearance on Sirius/XM satellite radio from the people at Ozzy's Boneyard. Here it is! (Right-click, download and play.)
April 2nd, 2015 I was featured as a guest deejay (the "Ultimate Sinner") on Sirius XM satellite radio's channel 38, Ozzy's Boneyard, after sending in 5 of my fave songs and being selected as the winner. :)
I recorded an edited video of the first airing (of three total) and it is posted on YouTube here.
Right-click here and download the official mp3 from Sirius/XM.
The five bands were Billy Thorpe, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche and Iron Maiden.
February 3rd, 2015 Photos from 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise added. Click here for a two-page format, or click here for a single-page format.
November 18th, 2014 Videos from my trip to Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas are now posted in this playlist on YouTube!
November 14th, 2014 Part 2 of my pics from Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is now posted here!
November 13th, 2014 Part 1 of my pics from Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is now posted here!
October 20th, 2014 Pics uploaded from Oct. 2014 cruise aboard Carnival Freedom!
September 22, 2014 CD list updated!
September 22, 2014 DVD and Blu-Ray list updated!
November 11th, 2013 R.I.P. Squeakers the Cat, c. 2006-2013. I will always miss you, and so will your brother.

October 22nd, 2013 Pics uploaded from recent cruise aboard Carnival Victory!
October 26th, 2012 Pics from our 7-day cruise on Carnival Liberty are now posted here (phone camera),
here and here. The last two galleries were taken with my Pentax Optio W30 underwater digital camera.
Videos are in this playlist.
I posted my review of the cruise (in stages) in this thread on CruiseCritic.com.
December 13th, 2011 SeismicRadio page updated, sadly for the last time. The Realserver is now out of action forever, so this is the end of SeismicRadio as we've known it.
April 26th, 2011 Autobiographical info updated!
November 5th, 2010 Pics from my first-ever cruise, aboard Royal Caribbean International's Majesty of the Seas from October 25-29, are now posted on my Facebook profile. Click here!


Music Stuff



At the old WREK-FM studios, deejaying at WREKage

Mickey Mouse, Mike Miller of Godhead and me :)

At ProgPower USA III in Atlanta, with Devin Townsend, who I co-sponsored for the event
You can also click here, here, here, here and here (in Rennfaire garb), here (at Blue Hole in Tenn.) or here (wearing a suit ?!) for additional photos of me.



If you want to link to this site (I have -no- idea why you'd want to, but....), feel free to use the banner above. :)
Banner image by Deron at metalages.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paul W. Cashman <pellaz1@comcast.net>

All text contents of this site are Copyright © Paul W. Cashman 1994-2021, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.