By: Bob Lopez

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Cory Procter, Drummer of Free Reign and Dallas Cowboy Offensive Lineman, about his budding music career and here’s what he had to say:

Tell me how the band got formed?

It started with Marc Colombo and I jammin’ out on occasion and then Leonard Davis joined in. We started off much like a garage band, but the jam sessions went well and we started doing charity gigs and small shows at places like the Rock Room. About three years ago we played a charity event at the House of Blues in Dallas and then the Grenada Room shortly after and that’s when we started getting a lot of press about it.

How do you find time for both football and the band?

We have time in the offseason. We workout five days a week, but mostly in the morning so we’re done by noon. Then we get some time to go home and rest and later on we’ll meet up and practice in the evenings and on the weekends.

Has being in a band helped you guys on the field?
I definitely think it helps us on the field because it helps us gel. Both on the field and on stage we have to work together as a cohesive unit. In football we need all guys working together and it’s the same as a band. We’re friends in football and in the band.

With football being first, would you say this is the thing you are second best at?
I would say so (he says laughing). It’s more than a hobby. Hopefully after football we can continue this as a second career. We love what we’re doing and want to continue after football.

Who are some of your influences personally and what are the bands influences?

We all come from very different musical backgrounds. Marc and Justin are more metal heads. Marc is really into Metallica and bands like that, and Justin is more into the newer metal like Killswitch.  Leonard has a jazz background but he’s an all-around musician.  Me, I’m a lot like Leonard, an all-around musician, but I come from a country music background with rock influences too.

You’ve played in some pretty big football games in front of 10’s of thousands of people, How does being on stage compare?

The rush is the same.  It’s different in the opponent you face obviously. You’re not going against 300 pound defensive lineman, but you are facing an opponent. You’re going against yourself, trying to play the perfect show to please the fans. Trying to please the fans is also something we’re competing with every night.

Switching gears and asking a football question, you’re a restricted free agent this year, what happens to Free Reign if you get picked up by another team?
We would try to do things from a far, and in the offseason try and get together as much as possible. We’ve done things like that before where Justin will send me a riff and I’ll listen to the track and lay some drums on top of it. It’d be difficult, but since this project has become more serious we’d make it work.

Has Jerry (Jones) ever been to a show?

(laughing) He hasn’t been to a show before, but he knows about the band though. He doesn’t mind he lets us do our thing and doesn’t say much.  Wade Phillips on the other hand likes to get a laugh out of it. During practice he’ll throw out a Free Reign show out every now and then.

For more on FREE REIGN
visit myspace.com/freereign

Alba "Hell'n Sinners" Guerra of the Rolleristas. Photo By: J3S

By: Nadia Tamez

Every Sunday at the De Leon Middle School outdoor gym in McAllen, the women of the South Texas Rolleristas spend five hours skating in a blur of elbow pads and wheels.

As the roller derby team glides off to the sidelines of the track for a break, team captain Alba “Hell’n Sinners” Guerra sits in the middle of the rink to stretch.

“Don’t let your muscles cool down,” the 29-year-old says, her voice echoing through the steel frame of the gym. “Just stretch out whatever’s hurting right now.”

Newbie Lory Blanquita is already lying against the cold concrete.

“My ass!” she yells out, earning a round of laughter from the other girls on the team.

By the time practice is over at 7 p.m., the sun has set and the Rolleristas are skating in the dark. After a final set of 100 crunches, the girls made their way to the bleachers, digging through purses for muscle cream and cigarettes.

“We’re not your typical athletes,” Guerra said. “We’re the anti-athletes. A lot of girls light up cigarettes after practice. It’s not very healthy, but if you can stand the burning in your lungs, nobody’s going to tell you not to.”

The Serial Killer - Travis Lutter

The Ultimate Fighter Championship, better known as the UFC, has put mixed martial arts on the map. It is also single-handedly responsible for putting Travis Lutter on the map in the realm of MMA as well.

Lutter has seen his share of ups and downs in the fight world, and since winning the Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show he has also seen how competitive the sport has become.

“The Serial Killer” as he has been deemed by his peers for being known for his quiet demeanor and reserved fighting style has stepped into the octagon with some of the biggest names in the UFC, including Patrick Cote, Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin. His record of 2-4 in the UFC includes victories over Marvin Eastman and Cote, who has gone 5-0 since facing Lutter.

Today Lutter resides in Fort Worth, Texas, where he owns and operates the Travis Lutter Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Academy, but his experience on the reality series is something he won’t forget.