Uncrowned from Atlanta, GA

Gravity Burn from Atlanta, GA

Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed

By Barbara Fara

President/CEO of MusicIncider.com





MI: Jamie, what’s your birthday?

JJ: Uhh…08/07/1977

MI: You’re a baby.

JJ: *laughs* Uh, yeah, pretty much.

MI: Where did you originate from?

JJ: New Haven, CT.

MI: And the rest of the band members?

JJ: Connecticut, except Matt: he’s from New York

MI: How did you come up with the name Hatebreed for the band?

JJ: Actually we just took the song “Hatebreeders” from the Misfits and cut off the “-ers”. We actually recently covered that song, too.

MI: Really, how did it come out?

JJ: It came out pretty good.

MI: Who are the founding fathers of Hatebreed and are they still in the band? I know that you are…

JJ: Yeah, me and Beattie, we started the band in 1995, and we’ve been the writing team always and we are the two original members.

MI: How did you get Riki Rachtman’s old job?

JJ: Well, I actually have a book coming out that explains the entire thing; I always get asked these sorts of questions about the show and now everything will just be in the book. It’s like four years; it’s a snapshot of my life at that period of time. It’s like a diary almost, because it’s my journals and I would just write down all the crazy stories…

MI: Tell me about the new album, and what’s your favorite song off the new album?

JJ: I think my favorite song right now is probably “Never Let Die” because of the video and it’s been in our set for like a year now so it’s not as redundant to play as some of the others we’ve been playing for so long. It’s more fresh to me, I guess.

MI: How do you manage to be on RoadRunner with Hatebreed and manage your bands on Stillborn Records?

JJ: Well, it’s crazy. I’m not going to lie and say everything is easy. With Hatebreed, we need a full staff of people. It’s not easy to get 200k records into a store. I could never do that with my own label because I am only one of two people running it. With my label, it’s just about giving back; it’s about helping the other bands. It’s not like a full time thing. Plus, the record industry is such a mess; I just do it for fun, I don’t do it to make money.

MI: Tell me about the bands on Stillborn. How did you pick them?

JJ: Well, my philosophy with the whole label is that I want to work with young bands that are hardworking and they know that they have to do everything themselves. Either you have it or you don’t. You’re never going to acquire, like, no one’s ever going to say to you, ‘Here you go. Here’s record sales and huge tours.’ You’ve got to work for it, and either you have that attitude or you don’t. That drive, I mean.

MI: What would you advise a young band just starting out? What would you warn them about?

JJ: Just keep your publishing. Don’t sell your publishing and get a good lawyer and don’t give the label your merch and…there’s a lot of things, but what I look for in a band is that I’ve just got to like the music at the end of the day. Sometimes the band might not be the best band, but I like it, so I’ll put it out, you know.

MI: How did you get the cover art for the new album? It’s fantastic.

JJ: Oh, thank you! This guy Meran [Karanitant], he’s like my favorite artist I’ve ever dealt with on any level with any graphic design or shirt design or album art, he’s just my favorite artist. He’s in Germany and I just discovered him through this band Six Feet Under and I’ve been working with him ever since. Now he’s been working with us for years.

MI: How do you keep your life private and do you actively protect your privacy?

JJ: I don’t really. I just don’t think it really matters. People have publicist that kinda put their stuff out there in hopes to make people write about it more or get more exposure for their other projects that their doing.

MI: Last time Hatebreed was in town, Damageplan was the headliner and it was a tour with Drowning Pool and Unearthed. What was it like to see Dimebag for the last time?

JJ: Um, yeah, we had just been talking and we had just seen him. That whole tour was great but every time we saw each other and hung out, it was just great. There was always a story or a crazy memory or something crazy going on…

MI: Give us a crazy memory.

JJ: Oh, like I’m getting off a ferry in England, you know, I’m alone and they’re like, do you want to go on the ferry and everyone else is sleeping and normally I don’t go up, I just sleep in the bus. So I get off and I’m hung over, tired, sore…it’s like 5:30 in the morning and I go out for some eggs and some coffee and I’m going up and I just hear this yelling and craziness and next thing I know I’m in this headlock and I’m totally dazed, don’t know what’s going on and then they are shoving Crown in my face and I’m pounding whiskey and it’s 5:30 in the morning and I’m like “Why are YOU on the ferry?” and it turned out that Dime and Pat and all those guys just happened to be on the same ferry. They saw me and started freaking out and so then, I was totally bombed out of my mind again, it triggered from drinking the night before and there was karaoke going on, there was fans on the ferry, people…I don’t remember much of it, I just remember going up and trying to feel better and get breakfast but then getting back on the bus wherever we were going and being completely ripped and everyone asking me what happened and I just said, “I saw Dime and everybody on the ferry...” It was crazy.

MI: How did his death affect you guys?

JJ: It just left everybody heartbroken, you know? It was just senseless. What can you think other than how ridiculously senseless and terrible it was, you know. No rhyme or reason.

MI: Out of all the tours you’ve been on with Hatebreed, how would you rate playing with Damageplan?

JJ: Oh, that was right out there. That was a great, fun time because it was the Headbanger’s Ball tour and we were coming off a really high point with the Headbanger’s Ball soundtrack being certified gold, and us having a song on there and with the success of the show…for us never getting the opportunity to tour with Pantera, that was like, the next best thing. So for us, it was great, because we gained a lot of fans of Vinnie and Dime’s and that was great for us. It was branching out. You were bringing a very street level East Coast hardcore band together with a more down south, good ole boy metal band so it was a good mix.

MI: Could you see yourself sometime in the future playing with Hell Yeah?

JJ: Oh yeah, totally. We’re looking forward to it. Vinnie is producing our live album next Tuesday and he is documenting the whole experience and we are doing the whole little mini movie about the live record and he is producing and engineering and recording the live record, so it’s gonna be great.

MI: Are you going to meet his dad?

JJ: I’ve met his dad actually, he’s great.

MI: Who influenced your vocal styles growing up?

JJ: Definitely Tom Araya, Max Cavalera, Roger from Agnostic Front, I always liked Karl from Earth Crisis’ voice; everybody from Chris Barnes to John Tardy on the death metal side of things.

MI: What do you think of Dr. Drew’s new show, Celebrity Rehab?

JJ: I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard about it. I heard it’s crazy. We’ll have to check it out, we do have satellite on the bus, what channel is it on?

MI: VH1, I think. What does it feel like being back in Atlanta?

JJ: It’s great, I’m just glad the show is going to happen. We thought it was going to get cancelled because of the tornado, we didn’t know what venue we were going to do, and this is the last tour on this record so we wanted to make sure we hit all the spots that we did the best on last time. This is one of the places we were able to come we had an off date from Ozzfest and it was just an incredible show so this was a good time to come back and we close the show and this is the last time we are gonna hit it before the new record, so it’s going to be great.

MI: So you’ve got the live album and movie coming up and then what’s next for you?

JJ: Well, the DVD is pretty much done, and then next is the cover’s album and then the new studio album. The new studio album will be next spring, but we are really going to take our time with it because we don’t have a label yet for the new album and we are going to pick a new producer and go a new route with that, we don’t know who yet.

MI: Have you considered releasing the album on Stillborn?

JJ: Yeah, but like I said, I can’t ship that many CD’s personally, you know?

MI: So how the hell did you get on tour with Type O Negative?

JJ: We were just always throwing that idea around with different agents and we thought that we always bring out a similar package, so we thought why not give somebody a complete opposite vibe. It’s just about doing something different. At the end of the day, it’s all heavy music, everybody fights so hard to separate things, why not make that effort to combine things. I love Type O Negative; I grew up listening to them. I even waited outside one time to meet Peter and Kenny and Josh and Johnny…

MI: How would you compare this tour with Type O Negative to the tour you did with Damageplan?

JJ: It’s just fun, they’re both fun. It’s a good time. Everybody gets along great. People think with Peter Steele that you’re gonna walk back stage and there’s going to be skulls with candles in them and red lights and dungeon equipment, and it’s just a regular tour!

MI: Tell me something nobody knows about any member of Hatebreed, any dirty secrets?

JJ: Three out of five of us are Nascar fans.

MI: *laughing* My assistant is in Charlotte at a Nascar race right now.

JJ: Wow, see? Nascar and metal mix. People don’t know that yet, but they will.

MI: Out of all your years touring, what is the most horrible thing you’ve seen, and what was the most memorable thing you’ve seen?

JJ: Some of the most horrible things I’ve seen are the broken bones; bones sticking out of skin, people getting their ears ripped off, eyes poked out, that’s never good. Some of the best things I’ve seen are people have proposed to their wives at our shows, people come to shows that have returned from the war, alive and come to enjoy our show, people that are just affected positively by our music, that’s always the best.

MI: How do you feel about Bush being president even though *unintelligible*

JJ: I don’t know. I was never really in the know enough to criticize anything. I guess because I live in my alternate world, in a bus, plane, car, train, whatever, and I never took the time to notice but I know that everybody is all up in arms.

MI: If Hatebreed had the chance to perform for the troops..

JJ: Oh, we’ve tried. We’ve tried but they just said it was too heavy, you know. So we were like alright, we’ll see…

MI: If there was a movie made of your life, who would play you and what would the theme song be?

JJ: Wow, I don’t know. Get somebody unknown, you know? Give someone new the opportunity.

MI: And the theme song?

JJ: That’s a good question; I’ve never been asked that before. How about this: at my funeral, play “Island in the Sun” by Weezer, how bout that. Instead of a movie, I want that song to be played. I like Weezer, alright?

MI: *laughing* Alright. What are your views on the legalization of marijuana?

JJ: Yeah! Go for it, why not? I don’t know, I always get asked that and it’s like…sure.

MI: What’s your favorite book?

JJ: Uh, right now I’m reading this book called “Slow Burn” by Stu Mittleman. He ran the equivalent of like three marathons a day. So you want to talk hard, you always see all these heavy metal guys, these tough guys, these hard guys? THIS guy is tough, this guy is hard. Run three marathons a day, that’s tough, that’s a guy I respect, that’s a real hero. Not someone drunk or high on stage talking about this stuff, this is a guy…imagine that. Imagine running three marathons a day, he ran across country. That’s a hero. The whole book is about training, and how not to break your body down. He talks about everything from your PH, the balance in your blood, the acidity, the diet, everything. This guy has inspired Tony Robbins and other motivational speakers because he’s done this nearly impossible stuff. It’s very interesting.

MI: Do you believe in reincarnation?

JJ: I don’t know. That’s when you come back, as like, an animal?

MI: Some people believe you do come back in animal form. The Indians (not North American Indians but India Indians) believe that when you die you come back in some form, either animal or person.

JJ: Well, if I come back I want to be…*yawns* I don’t know, I was going to say something witty, but my mind is just not working today.

MI: Then tell me a dirty joke.

JJ: I don’t have any dirty jokes! I need some though…

MI: If you were reincarnated, and God gave you a choice to come back as Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, which would it be?

JJ: *laughs* well, I’m more partial to Minnie Mouse than Daisy Duck, so I’ll have to say Mickey.

MI: What are all the sites your fans can find you at?

JJ: Hatebreed.com, hatebreedtour.com, hatewearinc.com, jameyjasta.com, myspace.com/jameyjasta, myspace.com/hatebreed

MI: Now, do you guys answer your own mail on Myspace or not?

JJ: We do, we try. We have a guy that runs all that for us, but we do. We go through a lot of them. There’s like 40k messages on there right now, so it’s tough. But we are pretty good with it.

MI: Do you consider your fans more like family, or just fans?

JJ: It’s a little bit of both. Because we’re going on 12 years of touring the world and being in this crazy band and the ups and downs and lineup changes. So the people who have stuck it out with us, it’s like this unconditional love which you kind of have for your family; because you really have to love somebody through thick and thin.

MI: Do you have a message for your fans?

JJ: Just keep the faith and hopefully with every record we will keep delivering what people like from our institution and thank you for the support.

MI: When is the book coming out?

JJ: It’s split into two books. One is going to be a lyric book, because I want to inspire people to just write, write what you feel, doesn’t matter what, just write. The other one is going to be that snapshot, that diary of that time of doing Headbanger’s Ball, and that’s the who, the what, the when, the where, the how, everything. So that will be like February, March of next year.

MI: If you had a million dollars to donate to any charity, what would it be?

JJ: Definitely something for children. I’ve done stuff with American Cancer Society; I’ve done stuff with Make-A-Wish foundation. But maybe I would divvy it up between different children’s charities.

MI: Have you read Nikki Sixx’s new book, The Heroin Diaries?

JJ: No, I haven’t, but I heard it was great and I commend him for helping people.

MI: Do me a favor, when you read the book, get the CD with it. Because to me, if you are a recovering addict, and you are a teenager reading Nikki’s book, he is there giving it to you straight up.

JJ: I will definitely check it out.

MI: It was great meeting you, Jamey. Thank you so much for talking to MusicIncider.

JJ: You, too. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Thanks for everything that you do.

Crash Romeo – Interview with Travis – lead singer

MI: Give me your birthday, Travis.
Travis: January 10, 1984
MI: Tell me about how the band got together.
Travis: Pretty much, me and my brother (who plays drums) have been playing together since we were little and the other two guys, Steve and Little Steve, we’ve been friends with for a long time. We went to high school together with them. Me and Ryan played in bands together throughout the New Jersey scene, and a couple of people left our band, so we added Steve and Little Steve and we changed things around, changed our name…
MI: How did you come up with the name?
Travis: Actually, we used to have a synth player in the band and he and our guitar player, Steve, were going to write a comic book called the Chronicles of Crash Romeo. We needed a name for the band and thought, ‘hey that sounds pretty cool’, so…
MI: Who does all the writing for the band?
Travis: I do, I write all the songs for us. I pretty much write the basic song and go to the guys and we change things around here and there…
MI: What I find interesting is the name of the CD “Gave Me the Clap”, who gave you guys the clap?
Travis: A few of us might have it, we’re not sure, but…(laughs) Well, the meaning behind that is just when you come to see us play live, we like that bond and you know, we like people to clap along to our songs, so we like the double meaning.
MI: Tell me who designed the album cover?
Travis: It was pretty much our idea, we had our friend Justin Height who takes all our pictures come out and we actually took that at our old high school. Also, our video, we shot that at the high school, too. We blocked out two days at the high school and just fucking destroyed it.
MI: Have you ever inhaled?
Travis: Uhh, yes I have.
MI: How do you feel about the legalization of marijuana?
Travis: I think it should be legal. I’m not really big into it. I’ve done it before, but I think it’s a great thing. People are going to do it anyway, so might as well get it out there.
MI: It’s been almost four years since Dimebag died; how do you feel about playing small clubs?
Travis: It’s scary, you know, especially when you start getting bigger, and you know people can be crazy. I remember watching that whole thing on TV, and it’s really scary. I actually met an old bodyguard of his and he was talking to me about it and you never know what’s going to happen you know. You take a risk every time you get on that stage, people throw stuff at you, and you’re vulnerable up there.
MI: How did you end up working with Amanda Cagan?
Travis: Our manager actually knew her back in the day, and he brought her up to us. She’s fucking great. She’s like the best thing that ever happened to us.
MI: What would you tell any young band that is getting into the music business? What would you warn them about?
Travis: It’s not all what you think it is. You’re not gonna hit it overnight, it takes a long time, it takes hard work. You’ll get there eventually, but it’s a messy business and there are things you definitely should watch out for. Listen to your lawyer, he knows best. That was one mistake we made. (laughs)
MI: So why was the show cancelled in Atlanta?
Travis: Well, we were in Chicago and about a week into this tour and Tub Ring, who are from Chicago, decided to drop out of the tour – they said they weren’t making enough money to get out there, down to Texas and they were saying they had just played all the same clubs. I mean, I thought the shows were getting better and better as they went along and so after that date, we said we would still do the tour, us and Driverside Impact and so the next date in Indiana – which was a great show for us, we had a lot of people come out and see us – and they came to us and said they didn’t have enough money either to make it down to Texas and they were going to drop off. So we were kinda the Lone Rangers on that. We still wanted to do the tour, but since everyone dropped off, a lot of the promoters started cancelling the shows, and there’s no way we could have made it.
MI: When do you think you’ll be headed back down south?
Travis: I think in June. We’re putting something together now. It might just be us, you know, because we’re tired of dealing with these other bands. So it might just be us and some local bands, that’s really what we want to do.
MI: Who would you say influenced the band’s sound?
Travis: A lot of influence, on my part, was from a band called Face to Face. They kinda got me into pop-punk, and you know rock. When I was younger I listened to them all the time. Social Distortion was a big influence on me, you can’t really hear it in our music, but I love that band. In New Jersey, too, we had a really powerful scene with a lot of great local bands and I’ve been going to shows since I was in like 6th grade.
MI: Who were your vocal influences, darling?
Travis: I actually taught myself how to sing. I took lessons, kind of after the fact, from this guy, Eric Troyer. I did that for about a year. I’d like to take more lessons, because I feel like you can always get better at what you do.
MI: So do you have any private secrets you want to share with us about the other band members?
Travis: Uh, well, everyone has the clap. (laughs) No. Actually, our guitar player, on the road – you can’t always stop for bathrooms all the time. So he peed in a Big Gulp drink and so he’s driving and a couple hours later, he’s thirsty and he picked up the cup and drank his own pee while we were driving. So he drank it and he looks around, you know, to see if anyone saw it, and of course we all did, and he says, you better not tell anybody about this.
MI: Now everyone will know about it on the whole world wide web. (Laughs) What would you say is the best show you ever played; your most memorable.
Travis: There was a show, I think when we were on tour with May Day Parade, last May I believe. We came back home and played this place in Jersey called Album Street Café and it was cool because I remember driving by and just seeing a line around the building and feeling like “Wow, this is great, all these people came out to see us.” It was just a good feeling to come home and have that support.
MI: If you could go on the road with anybody who would it be? This way we can drop Amanda some hints here…
Travis: Journey! Because I know she handles Journey. So if we could go out with anybody, Journey would be it. I’ve been giving her slight hints…(laughs)
MI: What do your parents think of your career?
Travis: They love it, they are really supportive. They’re not those parents that are like, “Go get a real job” or “You should have gone to college” So, they believe that we are going to hit it, they’ve been really great.
MI: So is your mom like your road manager or street team leader or…?
Travis: Well, my mom used to come to a lot of shows, like, back in the day. But she’s been really supportive and my dad has come down a couple times to see us play. A lot of people who do what we do aren’t so lucky.
MI: So have you read the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx?
Travis: I actually picked it for my girlfriend, but I haven’t read it yet. She read the Motley Crue book, The Dirt, and so she gets first read on this one.
MI: So are you and your girlfriend planning to get married?
Travis: We’ve been going out for six or seven years now, so it’s been awhile! Every since high school, so…as soon as I start making some money, and can support myself…probably after that…
MI: So where do you see the band five years from now?
Travis: Touring with Journey! Having a big bus, playing in front of millions of people, playing arenas…hopefully in five years that will happen…that’s what I’m hoping for…
MI: So what is the next video you plan to release off the album?
Travis: We’re not sure which one we’re gonna do yet - we might do ‘Gave Me the Clap’. We just did “Popular”, that was the one we did at the high school, and that came out awesome. We had this guy who used to be in Full House and Boy Meets World, he actually directed and starred in it, his name is Jason Marsden. He was fantastic. He flew out from California and just put his whole heart and soul into it. We will probably go with him, too, for the next one. My brother emailed him on Myspace and he heard our stuff and liked it and came out and directed and starred in it. And so that’s what we’ve got to keep doing, just finding people who believe in our music.
MI: So are you working on your new album yet? Or are you just laying back and relaxing?
Travis: Well, after this last record, I kinda took some time off from writing stuff, it took a lot out of me, but I am always writing. I write really quickly, it’s something that I am doing all the time. It’s fun for me, sitting down and writing something. I don’t show the guys until the songs are done and I just surprise them and they’ll be like, “Oh, alright. Let’s go record another album!” (laughs)
MI: What do you think of Bush, politically?
Travis: I don’t really like him too much, to tell you the truth. I think he’s the worst president we’ve ever had and I’m looking forward to a new president coming in and changing things.
MI: Are you planning to vote?
Travis: Uh, yeah. I’m not really sure who yet. I kinda liked Obama in the beginning, but I’m starting not to like him. So I don’t know.
MI: Musically, I don’t know where you get your inspiration from, but it’s just really wild…
Travis: We definitely like to keep it high energy. I don’t know where it comes from.
MI: Are you still going to be coming out the comic book, too?
Travis: That’s something we’ve always wanted to do. As soon as we can find someone to do it, and press it, then we’ll do it. It would be really cool.
MI: Do you have a message for your fans, darling?
Travis: Hopefully we will be playing in your city soon, and we hope you enjoy the album. It’s for the fans – its for all the fans that have been with us for so long. Keep on listening.
MI: Do you think that this war in Iraq is going to end when the new president comes in?
Travis: Um, I think so, I think it might take a little bit longer than, I don’t think it will end right away. I think it will take some time to get everything out of there. But I think that, depending on who gets elected, I think it will be over soon enough. You have to see that new movie, Harold and Kumar – have you seen it yet?
MI: No, I haven’t seen it yet.
Travis: There’s a part at t he end of the movie where they fall into President Bush’s house and the impersonator playing Bush smokes pot with Harold and Kumar. It’s great. It’s really funny.
MI: If God came to you and said you could change anything in the world to make it a better place, what would you change?
Travis: Wow, um, anything in the world?
MI: Yeah, if he said to you, Travis, I’m taking the day off, you’re God for the day, I don’t give a shit what you do, just make everybody happy, what would you do?
Travis: It would probably be a toss up between ending the war and saving the environment. I think that’s a big thing. Get rid of the gasoline cars; get some electric cars in there. Even places that are being built now, they should all be environmentally safe now. I think there is going to be a whole new movement.
MI: I think you guys are going to take off like a sonofabitch.
Travis: Thank you so much. That’s awesome.
MI: If you had a million dollars and you could donate it to any foundation of your choice, which would it be?
Travis: Probably to stem cell research, you know, trying to cure Parkinson’s disease. I think that’s a big thing. I’m a huge fan of Michael J. Fox and I think it’s horrible what he has to go through.
MI: If you could have lunch with anything three people, living or dead, who would it be?
Travis: I’ve always wanted to meet Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. I think he’s a great singer. He seems like a prick, but I’ve heard from people that he’s really nice, so (laughs)…
MI: What’s your Myspace?
Travis: Myspace.com/crashromeo
Myspace.com/travisromeo
www.crashromeo.com
MI: If a kid emails you through Myspace, are you guys handling it? Will you get it?
Travis: Yeah, I’m on the computer all day long. I email people back all day long, so…
MI: Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans?
Travis: Just go get the clap! It’s not as bad as everyone says it is. (laughs)
MI: Are there going to be more tracks on the next album than there was on this one?
Travis: I hope so. We actually recorded 15 songs. And there are about three or four songs that they didn’t put on the album, so we’ve got some B sides that we’re gonna release that have never been heard before. There’s one song that we recorded, that’s about a minute long, that’s about our ex-keyboard player that used to be in the band. We wrote a song about him – he actually heard it a few weeks ago and wasn’t too happy.
MI: What did you do to the fucking keyboard player (laughing)?
Travis: Well he was a real big jerk. He did a lot of things behind our back when he was in the band and it wasn’t on good terms. We ended up kicking him out of the band because of the things he was doing. He just wasn’t a good person. And we haven’t really been in contact with him ever since. But we just write what we feel, and we all wanted to write a song to express what happened between us. So we wrote a minute song that’s real catchy, it’s real fun, but if you really listen to the lyrics, you can find out what happened. But I want to do with that song is release it as a free song, like on our Myspace page, so people can download it, since it didn’t go on the record. So everyone can hear it and have it and so people will know it when we play it live.
MI: I think you guys are going to go places that are really going to blow you away.
Travis: I hope so. I’m excited. We’ve been waiting a long time – I feel like we’re overpaying our dues at this point (laughs).
MI: Where do you plan to record your next album?
Travis: We’ll probably go back to where we did our first two records, with Chris Digami. I’ve known him forever. Every since I started playing music- he had a studio in his garage, and we used to go there and record and then he moved to a big studio and started doing stuff for Starting Line and Early November and we consider him part of our band. He knows how I write songs and he is just a great guy, a true professional. He captures our sound and I don’t really want to go with anybody besides him, you know? He’s helped us out a lot with the business – we get his advice on things all the time, because he deals with it every day. So he’s a great guy.
MI: What do you think about the music programs in school? Do you think they should be improved?
Travis: I think so. It’s funny, our high school music program, when I went there, was like a band room for the marching band. And when we went back, they’re putting in a recording studio, and they’re going to teach kids ProTools and how to record bands and I wished I could have had that in high school, you know?
MI: So you believe people are starting to care about the music for their kids…
Travis: I think it’s getting better, you know, but I feel like today there is just so much clutter with so many bands that sound just alike. I just don’t get that. The best part of music is sounding different from other people. Doing your own thing and not being like everybody else. I think a lot of people are trying to cash in on that. Like the band Cartel? There are so many bands out now that sound just like that band. It’s unbelievable. It’s crazy. Of course everything in music is recycled and everything is taken from other things, but there’s that element that you have your OWN sound. That’s what I think puts you in different categories from other bands. If you look throughout time, bands that have their own sound are untouchable.
MI: What is your favorite movie of all time?
Travis: I like Wayne’s World, I like Mel Brook’s movies, Blazing Saddles is great, Young Frankenstein, um, I love Gene Wilder. Even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
MI: What did you think of the remake of that film?
Travis: You know what; I thought it was good, if you don’t think about the old one. It was a good movie, but I just don’t think you can come close to the original. I didn’t think Johnny Depp was very good in it, I thought he was kinda boring. There is just something about Gene Wilder…
MI: He just had that magical effect.
Travis: Exactly.
MI: Who is your favorite author of all time?
Travis: I don’t really read that much, unfortunately.
MI: If you could be a superhero for a day, who would it be?
Travis: When I was a kid, I always liked Aquaman, I know that’s weird, but I’ve always liked Aquaman. But I like Batman a lot. I love the new Batman movies, and I can’t wait to see the new one.
MI: What do you think about Heath Ledger?
Travis: I think that was really sad, what happened to him. We drove through the city and we drove past his apartment and there were all these flowers outside and people standing in front of it. It was crazy. It’s sad, but it’s like, what was he thinking?
MI: When you are not on the road, and you’re not writing, what are your favorite things to do?
Travis: I like hanging out at home, going to the movies, take my dogs to the park a lot. Spend time with the girlfriend, just normal stuff. I’m having the time of my life.
MI: And you don’t’ see anymore band lineup changes or anything like that?
Travis: No, everybody is set. And we are a lot happier now, when we added Adam to the band, we were together for like five years- like playing together and playing shows and when we added him to the band it just kinda screwed up the chemistry, and we were fighting with each other and honestly, I think if he would have stayed in the band we would have broken up. It was just something about him and what he brought up; everybody was at each other’s throats. And now, without him in the band, we haven’t fought once, it’s like the old days and we get along so well.
MI: So if your fans email you at Myspace, they will get a response from you?
Travis: Yep, they will get a response from either me, or Little Steve, or from one of us.

The Life and Crimes of Buckcherry

http://www.buckcherry.com
http://www.myspace.com/buckcherry

Buckcherry: Josh Todd – Vocals Keith Nelson – Guitar Jimmy "Two Fingers" Ashhurst - Bass
Stevie D. – Guitar Xavier Muriel – Drums

What in the name of FUCK has Buckcherry done differently? The answer is simple-everything. The band appeals to men and women. Rock music is SEXY, to quasi quote the trademark king, Gene Simmons. Rock music is aggressive. Rock music is life. -Good rock music tells a story. Crazy Bitch, for example, tells a real old fucking story. We all have done stupid shit for good sex. Fuck the whole Paris Hilton angle. That song, all by itself, created such an underground following that Buckcherry has been propelled into the national spotlight. The formula is easy. EVERYBODY fucks.

Joey Duenas from Anew Revolution

MI: What happened with you and Unloco?
Joey: Uh, you know, it was a marriage that fell apart. We were a band that had the same goals, at the very beginning of it all, and then as it got bigger and bigger, like, those roads started to tree off and go in different directions. When that happens you start losing site of what it’s really all about. You start fighting more, and stop talking to each other and the communication just breaks down and before you know it, you are walking away from each other and that’s basically what happened.
MI: I figured that’s what happened, I figured that…
Joey: It took a really long time, but it was funny, me and Pete were the ones really battling each other and we hadn’t spoken in such a long time, and it’s funny because now he and I have put aside our differences and we’re able to sit down and have beers together again, and just kind of reminisce and talk about the old days…it took us a while but… we’re back to being friends again…
MI: You’re at least back to talking, and that’s the most important thing. Who came up with the name ‘Anew Revolution’?
Joey: Uh, the band, we kinda all fell into it, you know. We thought of like, as times are changing and things become different – especially within our own organization and structure, you know, what we needed was a revamp of everything, some sort of a revolution. A new taste of blood, you could say, so we just kind of tag-lined it and made that our mantra – everything from the beginning, from scratch, you know and let’s go full forward.
MI: So who are the new band members?
Joey: Well, I have Shawn Stockton on guitar, and Frank Silvatgio on bass, and Robert Erbani on drums.
MI: And you’re happy with them all?
Joey: Oh yeah, totally.
MI: And you’re the main boss over there?
Joey: (laughs) Well, we’re four bosses. We have equal parts in this. Everything is split 25% across the board. Two of the guys in the band also used to be in another band that was signed, and they kind of went through the same thing my old band did. So now in this band we know what problems arise when it comes to fame and money and crap like that. When you keep it split across the board, everyone’s happy and there is no need for arguments.
MI: So tell me how did my baby Joey end up on Koch Records?
Joey: Oh man, well, just touring our asses off for the last three years unsigned, and then opening up for a band called Dope, like three times on three separate tours, and Dope actually ended up getting signed by Koch and told the new Vice President of Koch, Scott Givens, about us and that he thought we were a great act and it turns out that Scott Givens had signed two of the guys in my band, back in the day, to Divine Records. So he was their old A&R guy! So he got back in touch with us, came out to see us play, and was totally blown away and the next day offered us a deal. So here we are.
MI: Do you think that Koch will eventually offer you your own label with Anew Revolution?
Joey: You know I wouldn’t mind! That would be great. We could really hone in on our marketing and our A&R direction, but I mean, they do a great job, a fabulous job, regardless.
MI: What were you doing in between the time when you and Unloco separated and Anew Revolution began?
Joey: Well, I knew at that time that I was done with music for a little bit, and I kind of separated myself from it a little bit, you know? By the time I got off Ozzfest, I went home, you know, when you are out on the road for like a year straight, you don’t have a place to live or anything – the road is your home. So, I think I went back to my parents house and locked myself in my room for like a month and tried to get my head straight about what it was that I wanted to do because when you do something for eight years and it’s all you know, and all of a sudden it’s over, you’re kind of confused of what’s the next step. And there is nobody that’s gonna tell you what to do. And it’s funny because David Draman had called me up and was like, “Hey, my buddy in Filter is looking for a singer, and he started a new band and I told about you.” So I got in touch with Gino from Filter and flew out to Chicago an d we wrote a couple of tunes here and there and worked on a lot of stuff for about a month, and all we did was sit around and bitch about our old bands (laughs) there wasn’t a lot of work being done, and I knew that wasn’t the thing for me. So I came home, back to Austin, and got in touch with Rob and Frank and then we started really hammering down. That was when I knew I couldn’t do it like that, that we had to start from scratch, like a clean slate.
MI: So you go meet up with your old friends and it was like a hen fest with old ladies (laughing)…
Joey: (laughing) Exactly, you know who needs it, you can’t build something on shit. You can’t do it.
MI: tell me something, on the album work, I know you did the artwork, is that your arm?
Joey: No it’s not; it’s the guitar player Shawn’s beautiful arm there.
MI: That is the most excellent cover I have seen in a long time, inside and out.
Joey: Thank you! You know, a lot of people have told me that. Thank you very much. That’s awesome.
MI: What does Bristol-Meyers have to do with you?
Joey: Bristol-Meyers? (laughs)
Mi: Yes, I saw it in the liner notes...
Joey: Well, it’s not the company Bristol-Meyers! It’s actually my legal attorney.
MI: (laughing) Wait until you read my review of your cd – at the bottom of it I ask you “What does Bristol-Meyers have to do it? Joey, what happened?” But it’s your lawyer!
Joey: Nooo, it’s my legal attorney. I got in some trouble awhile back. (laughing)
MI: Who did most of the writing on the new album?
Joey: Pretty much all four of us. We’d go home, come up with some kind of structure or idea for a song and come in the studio and everyone would add their own flavor and taste to it and make it what it is. You know, tear it apart and build it back up again and go from there. So it was all a collective process. We stayed inside the studio for like eight hours a day and thought of it like a job, you know. It was our job to write music.
Mi: Is there any specific song that you love off the new album?
Joey: I really love the way “Love To Hate” came out, and I love the way “Enemy” came out. I think that those are two really creative songs that me personally, as a writer had never done before.
MI: Is there a message you are trying to send out to the world, especially your fans, with this album?
Joey: Don’t take shit from anybody! (laughs) Whether it be relationships, politics, financial stuff, whatever, you know? You can’t find yourself being beat down; you’ve got to really kind of rise above everything and move right past it.
MI: It’s been a long time since we’ve talked, Joey, so tell me how the death of Dimebag Darryl affected you and the band?
Joey: Oh man, I was really crushed. I had actually had the opportunity to play on stage with him and his brother a couple times at some Ozzfest shows, so to see that happen was just fucking heart wrenching. Anybody who had ever met that guy, whether you met him for two minutes or knew him for twenty years, he was one of the coolest, nicest people in the world. When it comes to someone like Dime, or even old Dave Williams, those are people that are irreplaceable and there will never, ever be anybody like them.
MI: Exactly, Exactly, now, are you taking more security measures at the shows because of this?
Joey: Um, me personally, no. But it does weird you out a little bit. The other night we were playing a show and I noticed that someone had made it past the barrier and was standing right in front of us – and it was a girl- but at the same time, my tech was saying, you know, any time that happens, get them away from the thing because you just never know. People are just psychotic sometimes. You trust the clubs to have the best kind of security available. We’ve actually played the Villa a Rosa a couple of times now.
MI: How does it feel?
Joey: It’s a club, you know, people come out, shows are always sold out. We never really mention anything about Dime onstage, because everybody knows what happened, and it’s a little eerie feeling, but…
MI: Do you feel him there?
Joey: Yeah, and the security there, they’ve always got a guy now on side stage and at the back door, whereas before ANYBODY could just want in and out. Some clubs that you go to, the security guys take their job a little too seriously and fucking throws YOU out (laughs).
MI: But you did feel him there, didn’t you…
Joey: Oh yeah, totally. It’s got this eerie, weird feeling like something bad happened.
MI: Do you feel more emotionally closer with ANR than you did in Unloco? Do you feel more secure with them?
Joey: I feel very more secure with them.
MI: The new album is a masterpiece in my eyes. I believe it should be nominated for a Grammy this year. How does that make you feel?
Joey: Accomplished! (laughs)
MI: Because guess who is on the board of the Grammys? I’m a Grammy Associate, darling.
Joey: Are you really? Nice.
MI: And who am I going to pick for New Metal Band of the Year? Or Best New Rock Band?
Joey: Hopefully, you’d pick me.
MI: Of course I’m going to pick you. Who the fuck do you think I’m gonna pick. I even put it down in the goddamn review, “This album deserves a Grammy.”
Joey: Thank you. No, seriously, we’ve worked so fucking hard on this record, and really tried to make it something that wasn’t already out there. When everyone was trying to be brutal and heavy, we were trying to be honest and true. When we recorded it, we decided we weren’t going to put any samples on it; everything on the record has a microphone on it.
MI: Now here we go with the stupid question, okay? Last time I saw you, 5 years ago, you said to me that you saw the band getting older and getting more broken bones, you were laughing. Now tell me, where do you see ANR in the next five.
Joey: In the next five years I see us still touring. I see us being an established act. Not necessarily an act that’s like multi-platinum fucking superstar Britney Spears kind of shit, but a band that is a steady, consistent selling act that we can hit any city and play in front of a thousand people and treat our fans with the utmost respect like we’ve done since day one. That’s where we see ourselves and I hope we stay that way.
MI: What is the first video you plan to release for the album?
Joey: “Done” actually. We are flying out on Monday to go shoot it.
MI: Really?
Joey: Yeah, we’re flying out to New York City to go shoot it.
MI: What part of the city?
Joey: New Jersey. We’ve got Dave Nabroski doing the video. He’s done like Sworn Enemy and Soilent Green, bands like that.
MI: Well, do me a favor, have you ever been to Jersey? Remember when you are driving through Secaucus, hold your nose.
Joey: (laughs) Dude! There is an awesome bus terminal in Secaucus, next to the Holiday Inn for two dollars you can hit the city, it’s awesome. That’s where all the bands stay. There are always two or three tour buses there.
MI: A lot of bands are on Myspace, both local and national bands, do you see Myspace as a good thing or a bad thing?
Joey: I see it as a good tool for publicity, but it also can add a false identity to somebody. Because any band can get a player adder program so it shows you’re doing like, two thousand plays a day, but then you go play a show, and there’s like two people there, it doesn’t translate.
MI: Are you also on Facebook?
Joey: Yes, we are on Facebook, we are on Myspace, and we don’t have players or any adders or anything. All our shit is natural. And it shows, because when you see a thousand plays a day, you’ll see a couple hundred people at our shows. And that’s what’s really important. I think it’s really depressing that a label will sign a band because they get like two thousand hits a day but they’re not selling shit. It’s false. You can be whoever you want to be on Myspace.
MI: So how is your personal life going? Tell me about Nicole Thomson. When’s the wedding date?
Joey: (laughing)
MI: Oh, yes, Joey, I did my homework on you baby boy. So you know I’m shooting the wedding, Joey.
Joey: Well it was supposed to be in October, but we had to postpone because of the record deal and the push for the record. (To Nicole -) When are we getting married, babe?
Nicole: Tomorrow.
Joey: (laughs) She says tomorrow.
MI: Tell her I’ll be there. With all three cameras, I’ll be there (laughs).
Joey: You’d come out and shoot my wedding? That would be awesome. We’re trying to relocate out to LA, and hopefully after we get settled out in Los Angeles, we’ll get married.
MI: You’re vocals have got much stronger since the last time I’ve seen you. What have you done differently?
Joey: What have I done? I quit smoking.
MI: You quit smoking? You were smoking like a tree last time I saw you.
Joey: Yes, I was smoking like a tree last time you saw me (laughs). So I quit smoking and you know I actually think I grew up a little bit? I matured a lot more.
MI: So let’s say Unloco was a stepping stone?
Joey: I would say it was a good stepping stone. It was a great, gigantic stepping stone into this next thing. But the thing is also too, with the vocals, I’m working with some really good writers who, the guys in my band, they know music, they know theory, they know notes, they know chords, they know everything and so it makes it a lot easier to come up with better vocal melodies and song structure.
MI: Okay, now we’re going to get political. With the new presidential race coming up, are you going to be voting?
Joey: Yeah, I am.
MI: And who are you voting for?
Joey: Do I have to say? (laughs) I haven’t made my decision yet!
MI: How do you think Bush has handled the last four years since we’ve talked?
Joey: Well, driving around the United States, and getting to see people from across the country, I think he’s really fucked this place up.
MI: If you could tell Bush anything, what would it be?
Joey: I would just say, hey man, go away. Go far away and let everybody else deal with his mess. (laughs) I think a lot of bad decisions were made. He let a lot of his friends come in and pick this country clean, in terms of big business and stuff like that, cuz the little man is hurting pretty bad, you know?
MI: If you had a million dollars, what charity would you donate it to?
Joey: there is actually a foundation in Austin, Texas called HAAM, and they supply musicians like myself with free medical insurance.
MI: I was just reviewing Nikki Sixx’s book, The Heroin Diaries, and he talks about founding and funding a program through Covenant House called “Running Wild in the Night” for kids on the streets to have an artistic outlet. Do you see yourself undertaking something like this in the future?
Joey: I would love to. I would donate to that organization or there’s this other foundation that helps musicians that have drug abuse problems or that need some sort of psychological therapy and can’t afford it.
MI: It’s funny that you bring that up because I was interviewing Chris Barnes when Chuck Schundler died – he had no medical coverage.
Joey: The majority of us don’t., you know?
MI: When is the next ANR album coming out, my darling?
Joey: Well this is in its first cycle so hopefully maybe next year. Hopefully we’ll come home and start writing in the fall and get ready to release something next year.
MI: …and you’ll be married.
Joey: …and I’ll be married, that’s right. (laughs)
MI: How would you say the music industry has changed since the last time we talked?
Joey: Well, it’s changed in the fact that nobody buys CDs anymore; it’s going more the way of digital, which is fine. I think when they can get people to stop downloading stuff for free and just buying songs for a dollar, I mean, you can’t even buy a gallon of gas for a dollar, but you can buy a really cool tune for a dollar.
MI: Now, supposedly vinyl is making a big comeback. If you had a chance to release your CD on both CD and vinyl, would you do it?
Joey: Oh, absolutely. It would be great to have in on vinyl and have everything else online, you know?
MI: I recently saw on the news that the immigrant workers are still being treated as slave labor for our major corporations. Do you believe that since they are doing America’s dirty work that they should be offered a proper living wage and access to healthcare?
Joey: I believe that if you want to work here and live here that you should try to learn the language and be citizens. You know I’m actually Hispanic, and my parents came across the US when they were young, illegally. But my parents ended up going to school, getting an education, and you know my dad’s almost got his masters, he’s an accountant. My mom is the VP of a company. So they made something of themselves, but I believe you should come to this country and try to better yourself.
MI: How do you feel about the illegal downloading of music and how has it affected sales of your album?
Joey: well, it’s funny, I was talking to Evil Jay from Otep about that the other day and he was saying that they sold 20,000 records their first week, but they also had their record illegally downloaded over 60 thousand times. Even when someone like Radiohead offers their album for free, people still go to Limewire and download it illegally. So, I mean…it’s one of those things that I just don’t understand. I think people still have the misconception that if you have a record deal that you have a lot of money, you’re on a tour bus…but they don’t see the dirty work behind it, where it’s like, no, we DON’T have any money. We DON’T own a tour bus, and it’s the equivalent of digging a ditch, and someone is going to pay me money for digging the ditch, and then someone just comes along and takes my money.
So I dug the ditch for free. The thing about it is that it’s just the wave of the future; it’s just where things are going. The thing about is that the major labels like Warner Brothers just put their fingers in their ears and decided that “nope, there’s nothing wrong and we can still charge like, 18 bucks for a single.” And it’s not that way anymore, so they’re getting a big slap in the face. It’s their job to come up with something to make it fair for everybody. I think the industry needs to catch up with what the future’s done.
MI: When are you coming back to Atlanta?
Joey: I think we might be coming back to Atlanta sometime in July. We’re supposed to be hitting the road with Kitty and Dope.
MI: If you and ANR could have lunch with any three people, living or dead, who would it be?
Joey: (repeats the question to Shawn)
MI: Oh, now we get the whole band? (laughs)
Joey: Well, we are on the way to Houston. I would say, Lane Staley, who else…Shawn would like to have lunch with Freud….and who else…Nicole said Oprah. (laughs)
MI: If there was a movie made about your life, who would play you and what would the theme song be?
Joey: hmmm…well, I’m going to think very highly of myself and say that Johnny Depp would play me and the theme song would be Rocket Queen, fucking Guns N Roses.
MI: If you were God for a day, what would you change?
Joey: Gas prices. (laughs)
MI: On your Myspace page, do you and the band handle it directly and can your fans write you there? And your Facebook?
Joey: Yeah, totally. We handle our Myspace page, and all our pages are linkable.
MI: You have done so much for your fans over the years – if they could give you anything back in return, what would you ask for?
Joey: Just support. Just keep doing what you’re doing! That’s all we ask for. We don’t need food, or any of that shit, you know? Just, if we play a show, come out. Buy a t-shirt.
MI: Do you believe in psychics?
Joey: I do believe in psychics, yeah.
MI: Have you ever had a reading?
Joey: No, I never have.
MI: Well, you must come see me, my boy. Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Joey: Uh, yeah, just the other day actually. I was in Allenstown, PA, at the Crocodile Rocks and I ran downstairs into the basement to grab my wristbands because we were about to take the stage, and my intro was still playing, and as I was sifting through my bag, I heard someone calling “Hey” to me, like really loud but right next to me, and I looked and the whole place was deserted.
MI: What has been your most memorable moment from this tour with Otep?
Joey: Uh, I would have to say when I jumped into the crowd in New York City and nobody caught me and I feel all the way down straight on my back.
MI: Oh, that is FUCKED UP!
Joey: (laughing) I fell right on my fucking back.
MI: You’re stuck on a desert island, and you can bring one book, one CD, one person, and your favorite bottle of booze. What do you bring?
Joey: Nicole, of course. Damien Rice ‘O’, because being with a woman you have to chill, you can’t have, you know, crazy metal all the time. And my favorite book, it’s a toss up between two, either the Motley Crue book, and or this Henry Rollins book called “Smile, You’re Traveling”
MI: Is Anew Revolution getting enough airplay in your eyes?
Joey: It’s a work in progress. We’re nailing down stations as we go. We’re not doing it like the big labels are doing it, where they go for the huge ads to get every fucking station locked in that first week. What they’re doing is working it old school style, like fucking Elvis Presley, back in the day when they were shipping 45s and basically they would get like ten stations and lock down those stations, and then ten more. What we are doing is build, build, build, build. Because what happens when you throw a pebble off a mountain? Before you know it turns into an avalanche.
MI: Tell me a dirty joke.
Joey: How do you make a girl scream twice? Fuck her in the ass and then wipe your dick on her curtains.
MI: How do your mom and dad feel about the new band?
Joey: They feel good about it. They’ve always, since Unloco times, just seen me as being a musician and knowing that’s what I do for a living. My parents are like 65, so theyre not into the headbanging shit. They know I rock out and that’s about it. (laughs)
MI: So mommy’s not the merch booth lady…
Joey: No, not at all. My mom is very much the Mexican lady who listens to Clink Black and shit like that. I think she’s bought like two CDs her entire life.
MI: Does the band have a street team yet?
Joey: Uh, no the band does not have a street team yet. We rely, basically, on our Myspace, man. We send out a bulletin and say, “Okay, we’re coming to town, can anybody do this?” and people will do it, you know?
MI: How do you like working with your new PR, Monica?
Joey: Oh, she’s awesome.
MI: Because she loves you.
Joey: She’s cool as hell. We try to make her job as easy as possible.
MI: Do you feel you are getting enough press coverage with this album?
Joey: Oh yeah, totally. She’s doing a great job. We just did Metal Edge, which is awesome too, you know?
MI: Aside from everything else, how’s life been with you?
Joey: Life’s been good, you know? No complaints. It’s been steady, it’s not like it’s zooming out of control or anything like in Unloco days because that was like the hard grip of reality. But now it’s just like, we’re on the road, we’re touring, we’re making money, you know. Paying our bills, lights are on. My wife’s at home, waiting and very supportive.
MI: So give me all the sites where your fans can find you, my love.
Joey: Myspace.com/anewrevolution
Anewrevolutionband.com
Or Koch.com
Facebook/anewrevoluton
MI: Give me your favorite quote of all time.
Joey: My favorite quote of all time would be from Henry Rollins where he said “Be careful when you meet your idols because there’s always the chance of being disappointed.” (laughs)

Walls of Jericho Interview with Candace Kucsulain

By Barbara Fara
President/CEO
MusicIncider.com

MI: Here we go, baby. What is your birthdate and you don't have to give the year.

CK: Oh, you know I don't mind – it's August 2, 1980. It's a really good birthday because there's a lot of people like the guy from Red Chord, him and I have the exact same birthday on the exact same day, same year, same day.

MI: Really, you have to wish him a happy birthday for me; I've got pictures of him up on the site, too. And I've got pictures of you up from Mayhem.

CK: I will! This year we get to share our birthday's together. We're super good friends, super close. Actually, we're dating. That's kinda weird. Oh my god. (laughs)

MI: Who are the other members of the band?

CK: Chris Rawson plays guitar, Mike Hasty plays guitar, Dustin Schoenhofer plays drums and Aaron Ruby is bass. But when you see us tomorrow, Greg is going to be filling in for our bass player because he couldn't make it for this part of our tour. And Greg is the bass player for the Red Chord.

MI: Who were your musical influences growing up?

CK: Musically, um, I definitely had a wide variety of stuff. My parents listened to a lot of rock and roll, but my dad listened to a lot of country like Johnny Cash. On my own, I listened to punk rock, like Minor Threat and then I was in a mix of kids that were really into the music scene, so I got into grindcore and stuff like that. Anything that seemed like it had a message, and was loud and heavy. (laughs) I threw off my dad’s Metallica disk, it was a single that had “One” on it and I would put the song on and headband until I fell over. I loved that. I remember that I didn’t know nothing about nothing then – I just knew that I loved it. The “And Justice for All” record was great; definitely a big influence on my life. I remember putting the Greatful Dead tape in and immediately took it out. (laughs) I was like, “This is garbage!” Punk and metal were my influences growing up.

MI: You’ve got a great voice – who influenced your vocal style?

CK: I’ve never really tried to sound like anybody because I never really thought I could sound like anybody, you know, I felt lucky to get what I got at that point – especially when I first started. I had a very high voice. I believe there was Karen from Crisis at that time, but nobody else was in our scene that I knew of so she was the only person they could really compare me to, but I never listened to Crisis. It was just any band; I listened to Earth Crisis and that actually is how I got the Crisis cd, because I ordered the Earth Crisis CD and they gave me Crisis by accident – that’s how I found out who she was. Earth Crisis, and the band Born Against was one that nobody really knows of them, a lot of just anything. I wanted to scream. I knew that you didn’t try to have a sound, you just pretty much showed your emotions through your vocals, you know, put out your aggression and your pain through your vocal chords. Also, whatever you have is good enough. I enjoyed singing by entire life; I was in choir and stuff like that, so…

MI: So is mom the road manager now that you’ve become the big singer?

CK: (laughs) No, wouldn’t that be amazing. My parents were normal parents; but kids will always rebel of course, so I went towards the heavier metal side, but I was drug-free and very much didn’t want to be the norm. I wanted to avoid all that because I’ve definitely seen a lot of what I didn’t want to be in my family, you know? There were things that I wanted to overcome and the hardcore scene and the metal scene was a place I felt like I belonged. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere or I was a part of anything. I felt like an outcast.

MI: You poor baby! It’s okay to feel like an outcast! What is the inspiration behind your songs and who writes them?

CK: The band writes the actually music and then I write the lyrics and vocal patterns to the music. My inspiration comes from life; like I do believe it’s important to speak from the heart and otherwise…that’s where it always comes from is from that place of you speak the truth, you speak who you are, you always stay real.

MI: Now, I know the band broke up between ’01 and ’03, why did the band disband between that time, if you don’t mind me asking?

CK: Our drummer, Wes Keely, who was the original drummer – during that time, bands were not touring full time and you could not survive on just being a band; before hardcore came up from the underground and more into the mainstream and public eye. He wanted to finish college and so he decided to move away to Seattle; well, at that time we couldn’t afford anything – I remember we went out for three weeks – I came home and I had about $150 dollars of rent and I had to go get a job at IHOP for two weeks so I could pay my rent. I came home after working for three weeks with no money. We just couldn’t survive – you did the band because you loved it. I do feel like that whole time is just like not a part of the music anymore. Kids do not – bands nowadays do not have to struggle to do something they love. They have no idea what it means to sacrifice everything you have to do something you love. So Wes wanted to go to school and be a respectable young man and we tried to find a drummer – I think we went through like five drummers – and all of them had their own special thing but none of them fit, none of them were right and then we got Derek Grant, who is now the drummer for Alkaline Trio and so he actually played with us for awhile when we did the last tour we did and that was pretty much the last show we ever did. He got asked to be in Alkaline Trio while he was in our band. It made perfect sense because they were a band that were definitely starting to get more attention and it was definitely more his gig, a little more on the dark, punk side and hell, if I was a drummer, I would have gone for that, too, because they’re amazing.

MI: Who came up with the name “The American Dream” for the album?

CK: Well, it was just a song to begin with; we actually weren’t going to name the album. We were kind of just going to do the number four thing. We wanted to get on top of putting up the design thing, you know the artwork for it and then we did the song “The American Dream” and it just came about. We actually started because we were writing a song that was about home; it was about how we don’t feel like our home is our home. If you know anything about Detroit, much like a lot of states, Michigan, the people are losing jobs, like it is everywhere but it’s hard to watch it fall around you. We had family and friends who own businesses and to watch them struggle and fail all because of this so called American dream, you know. Big business wins. The American dream doesn’t even exist anymore and so that’s what that song is about. We got a lot of people saying it was anti-american and an anti-war song and no, not at all, you know?

MI: It’s about the people struggling here in America.

CK: Exactly. And it’s about how we need to create a new dream, about how all my life, I’ve watched my family struggle. I watched my dad break his back to put food on the table, stuff like that, to where you really see what’s going on in America. I just want to remind people that not everybody is well off. I think there are a lot of people, especially in our scene today who…in the beginning the hardcore scene was for the kids, the misfits, more for the outcasts. We did not grow up in a wealthy family, we struggled and didn’t have shit and most of the people in the scene that I knew were the exact same way. Nowadays, because it’s so mainstream, you’ve got kids that are rich and way more well off and it’s easy to get in a band that mommy and daddy bought them and go tour the world so they can pay their rent. It’s a reminder of what the struggle is.

MI: What do you think would be the answer to fix the situation in America?

CK: Um, I do think we need a new hope. Like most Americans, I don’t like McCain or Obama, but if you had to go vote for one, I would definitely go vote for Obama. I think he is a new hope and it’s going to lift the spirit of the entire country and just get us off in the right direction, you know? We’ve definitely hit a wall and there’s a lot that needs to be done and I think if McCain were to get in office, a lot of people would think it’s just never going to change. But there are a lot of things that could happen; I’m excited to see. I hope they do not fail us and I hope that we do not have another Bush ever again.

MI: Everybody is going vinyl; are you planning to release this album on vinyl?

CK: We already have. We already released stuff on vinyl. All our records are out on vinyl, everything. You can actually get a double disk, or double vinyl of what we just released. I love the vinyl. I constantly go to record stores and buy vinyl for like 99 cents. You can find some really awesome shit. Especially older music and I love it.

MI: How long are you going to be in Atlanta?

CK: Probably just the day.

MI: If you get a chance before soundcheck, go into Little Five Points, they’ve got some really great vinyl stores.

CK: Oh yeah! I will for sure.

MI: Do you ever wish you had decided to stick with body piercing as your career?

CK: No! (laughs) That’s why I didn’t.

MI: What do you consider your worst job?

CK: My worst job – I worked for UPS. I would load boxes onto those belts and that was okay, I didn’t mind that kind of stuff, but then they’d have me sit down and there was like probably 500 envelopes that I had to scan in every single number and I’m not meant for that kind of stuff.

MI: How does your family feel about your career?

CK: Well, I don’t have much family left. I only have two brothers now. I have my grandma and grandpa and stuff.

MI: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ask about your mom earlier…

CK: Oh, it’s okay. She passed just a couple of years ago, and my dad passed when I was sixteen. But they’re very supportive; I have the cousins I randomly see around. My one brother lives in Iowa, my other brother lives in Montana. We’re spread out; my grandma lives in California and my uncle lives in Seattle. That’s my family. But I can see them now and then and they are very supportive – not at first, but now they are.

MI: If you could have lunch with any three people, living or dead, who would it be my dear?

CK: Oh my god…I’d have to say my mom, of course. Um, Janis Joplin and pick one from now…my best friend Stephanie. Close people. And I’m not very good with small talk (laughs) so if you know me, I’m not good with strangers.

MI: You’re doing just fine. What would you warn any upcoming band just entering the music business to watch out for?

CK: Managers. Definitely managers and your label and the best thing you can do is talk to older bands that have been doing it; find out what their deals are and their contracts. Contracts are the one thing you really have to watch out for because in the end it can screw you, for sure. A lot of people tend to take advantage of the bands that don’t know.

MI: Do you feel like Myspace and Facebook and all these sites have helped or hurt the music industry at all?

CK: I think it’s helped and hurt the music industry. It’s good, I mean, I admit it, you hear of a band and it’s so easy to go on Myspace and see what they look like and hear their music and all that stuff but um, I think it makes kids…they don’t appreciate the search, you know? It’s just so easy, everything’s right at their fingertips that there’s not too much heart and soul there anymore.

MI: Do you believe in psychics, my dear?

CK: I’ve gone to a couple, and they were never good.

MI: What happened?

CK: The first lady was like, “I don’t want to tell you your future; if it’s negative, I’m not supposed to tell you.” That was crazy. And then the second one told me that someone close to you is going to die or you’re going to die in a car accident, which was crazy. I was like, you know what, I don’t need to put myself through this kind of crap. (laughs)

MI: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

CK: You know what? No, not really. I like to be scared, I’m the type of person to go watch a scary movie and go to a haunted house and try to freak myself out.

MI: Have you ever noticed any resistance from the music industry for being such a powerful female lead singer?

CK: Yes. For sure. I think every woman has in the music industry – especially this one. Especially the metal/hardcore industry. It’s not as popular and it’s not as accepted – it’s getting more accepted now but it’s clear as day to women how weird it is to be a woman in this kind of scene. The men will never…they just don’t seem to get it. I’m not cutting them down – there’s no reason for them to get it; they don’t care because we’ll never take over. (laughs)

MI: It’s like castrating them.

CK: (laughs) Yep. But that’s not what we’re trying to do and just stop comparing us to each other. That’s my biggest thing – I hate the fact that when you’re a girl, you’re instantly compared to another girl. They don’t do that with men.

MI: How did you get on the tour with OTEP?

CK: I actually said, hey, let’s do a tour with OTEP. Our manager and booking agent got a hold of them and we were lucky, they were doing a tour during a time we were available.

MI: Yeah, I’m shocked she’s doing a second tour in Atlanta in one year.

CK: We’ve never, I won’t say we did a show together, but we played a fest once and they were on the fest and they played a couple sets after us, but that was it. We don’t know them, but it will be interesting.

MI: Where do you see the band five years from now?

CK: I hope still going. I hope that the kids care enough about this band and the scene to keep it going. I hope that it isn’t like every other scene where it’s just a trend and it fades out.

MI: How did the death of Dimebag affect you guys?

CK: I didn’t know him personally. I know a lot of people who knew him personally. It definitely a tragic thing and a scary thing for the scene, for sure, that there are people out there that are capable of doing that sort of thing.

MI: are you guys taking more protection with you on the road now then?

CK: I wouldn’t say as a result of that. We are not, obviously, as high profile as him but you have to protect yourself. After we did Ozzfest and the scene itself has changed. There aren’t as many people as we used to know in the scene. When we would go through a town, we would never do hotels; we would always just stay at people’s houses. Now you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into because you don’t know these kids and kids aren’t exactly how they used to be; I’m not knocking the kids or anything but it’s scary because kids become more fans than just friends which is not how we want it, so…

MI: How do you think this situation with Iraq is going to end up?

CK: Honestly I don’t know. It seems like its going as well as it could be going right now and the only thing with Obama that I was scared of is that he would pull us right out and with as much money as we’ve put in, I don’t think we can do that. No matter what, no one likes war, but let’s face facts; we don’t want war on our turf.

MI: And that already happened.

CK: And look how we dealt with that. It would cripple us completely if something like that happened. We have to remain a superpower. It’s important that we do.

MI: If a movie was made of your life, who would you want to play you and what would the theme song be?


CK: Oh my god. Okay, okay, let me think of this…umm…so many…maybe like Angelina Jolie? But I don’t know how good she’d look as a redhead…(laugh) yeah, she’s great. A very strong woman, I like her because she’s the real thing and she’s always in those….

MI: And what would the theme song be?

CK: God that is a good question. It would have to be powerful; it wouldn’t be a soft song. Maybe a song by Concrete Blond…”Bloodletting” is a great song, it really isn’t like the words itself or the verses that exactly describe my life, but…

MI: So Angelina’s playing you and we’ve got Concrete Blond doing the theme song, will you be babysitting Brad Pitt on the set?

CK: (laughs) Babysitting him…oh my god…I’d be getting my groove on as much as I possibly could.

MI: Do you have any other dirty secrets you want to tell us about the band members?

CK: God, we are so not that band. We are so like, lay people.

MI: Like they don’t fart in their coffee or anything?

CK: They do like to chase me around and fart on me.

MI: What do you when you guys are not on the road?

CK: I do work. I work from home a good amount of time and I work at my friend’s salon. I also take a lot of time for myself. I enjoy quiet time and my personal time and I’m really just laid back. I work out a lot when I’m home – it’s a great stress reliever for me and I enjoy just walking, drinking coffee, reading…

MI: What’s your favorite book?

CK: Mystic River is one of my favorite books – and Invisible Monsters – I love that one because of how it’s written, it’s just very creative.

MI: So what do you like to cook?

CK: I’m not a huge cook, but I love to bake. I love to bake cookies and cupcakes…

MI: And brownies?

CK: Yeah, I dig brownies. I’m good with banana bread.

MI: What’s your feeling on the legalization of marijuana?

CK: For medical purposes, I believe in it, yes.

MI: What is your favorite movie of all time?

CK: Dogfight is one of my favorite movies – River Phoenix was in it. It’s just a good story about a guy and a girl, you know? It’s an older movie.

MI: I just saw one with him in where he played a country music singer…I can’t think of the name of it…

CK: Oh, that’s a great one, too! I can’t remember the name either. I’m a romantic for sure, so I love those kind of movies.

MI: Okay, if you were really pissed at someone, who would you throw a bucket of flesh eating ants on?

CK: Ooh…(laughs) who do I hate…Paris Hilton? Yeah. All those fake people that all those girls idolize.

MI: Now, on your last EP, Redemption, you recruited Corey Taylor from Slipknot/ Stone Sour to produce and it took an entirely different sound direction by recording it acoustically. What was the message you were trying to send and what was the overall reception it received?

CK: It was well received, for sure. A lot of people thought it was going to be our new sound and the way we were going (laughs) but we kept trying to explain in interviews and stuff that was wasn’t what we were doing – we just needed to get that out of our system. It was something that we wanted to do for years. The overall message was…I wanted to write songs that were…now the songs I write for Walls of Jericho are from the heart, like I said, but I do make them a little more vague and open so people can take them as they will. You know, put their own thoughts and feelings and situations into it. This one I wanted to write stories; I wanted to write straight up how I was feeling. The first song, “Ember Drive” is about my mother, about her dying and how much I love her. “My Last Stand” is about the constant search for yourself and your soul mate and we did The Animal’s song [“House of the Rising Sun] which I think is a great song and it’s just a little glimpse into what life is really about - what is true. It’s the real struggles that people go through – that song is about real pain and heartache and life. I really love that song and I’m glad we covered that song. And then the song Corey and I actually did together was about the people we love that are addicted to drugs; how it affects us and how it tears apart your family…we both had that in common.

MI: How do you think your music affects your fans around the world?

CK: I think it really hits home with a lot of people and hopefully it’s inspiring and healing for them, which is exactly what I am hoping to put out there – that’s what I want to get out of music myself. There are a lot of people who say that, you know – that your music has helped me or just knowing I’m not alone because we speak about a lot of taboo things that everyone wants to sweep under the rug. We tackle abuse – child abuse, rape, drug abuse, and suicide; tons of things that I’ve gone through and my friends and family have gone through. Its stuff that puts you in a very dark place; that makes you feel very alone at times and makes you feel like there’s no hope. I always turned to music to get me out of that and that’s what I really wanted out music to be to people.

MI: How did it feel to see Corey again at Mayhem this year?

CK: He’d come hang out all the time – he’s actually a good friend of all of ours.

MI: I know – I heard him sing happy birthday to you on Youtube…

CK: Yeah! (laugh) It’s was really nuts. It was great hanging out with him and meeting Slipknot; I didn’t know any of the dudes from Slipknot except him and Jim, so it was cool to meet some of those dudes and the company he keeps, like his security guys around him are great, great guys. I don’t know. This summer was an amazing time for me – it’s something I won’t forget.

MI: So what would you say your best tour has been so far, ever, and with who?

CK: What we just did in Europe. We just headlined the Hell On Earth tour and it was us, Stick to Your Guns, Animosity, the Red Chord, Cataract, and All Shall Perish who was on half the tour. It was an amazing tour. I can’t complain – I get to travel, see the world, and see amazing things together with people that you care about. Like I said, The Red Chord and our band, we’re in love. Our bands are in love! (laughs) and then All Shall Perish, they are great, great dudes and Stick To Your Guns, we had done a couple of shows with them years ago and we always wanted to tour with them and they are just amazing dudes – all heart in that band, you know? Reminds me of what hardcore used to be. It was a wonderful thing, every single day.

MI: Would you say that US news or European news is more honest?

CK: Yeah! For sure – the US tries to put blindfolds over us as much as they possibly can – but we all know that. What shocks me is that we allow ourselves to fall into that trap.

MI: Have you been getting a lot of MTV play?

CK: No, I don’t think so. You only get MTV play if you have a video and we put our video “A Trigger Full of Promises” out two years ago and it was about politics, you know what I’m saying? It only gets a certain amount of play and that’s it. They’re always looking for the best, hot new thing and so were hopefully going to do a video soon so we can get some play.

MI: So how did you end up with Dana Gordon?

CK: Our manager. She’s great! I really enjoy working with her.

MI: If you had a million dollars to donate to any charity, what would it be?

CK: Probably…I’d definitely donate it to environmental science – I think it’s important that we keep on top of our environment and do what we can do to keep it a safe place for our children, the next generation.

MI: Are you in any of these groups now?

CK: No, actually I used to…I’d donate to women’s shelters and stuff like that but it’s like, I’d obviously keep things green. It’s been pumped through everybody’s mind right now and I think it’s important that we don’t forget because the environment is very important. It’s our home, you know what I’m saying? You’ve got to protect your home. That’s another reason I hope Obama wins, because I know that McCain, just like Bush, has no interest in putting any more money into our environment.

MI: So what was the worst thing you ever saw on tour?

CK: Probably I’d say the injuries that the crowd incurs. Broken ankles…I saw a guy, offstage, and I was like, what did that guy do with his eye, did he leave it backstage?

MI: What’s your favorite quote of all time, darling?

CK: Oh man, wow.

MI: I got one – this will be an easier one for you while you’re think of your favorite quote – What do you plan for your little fans for Halloween?

CK: I don’t know if we’re doing any thing for Halloween this year!

MI: Do you have a Halloween message for your fans?

CK: More tricks than treats?

MI: Good one – now, what is your favorite quote of all time?

CK: Okay, the thing is this is one that I was in this class and so I don’t know that this is the actual quote itself but it was something that just recently I heard and it really just sticks in my head – “We are products of our own choices.” It absolutely just rings true for everything. We are the results of our own choices. It’s just something to live by more than a quote.

MI: I know exactly what you’re saying. So where can your fans find your websites, my love?

CK: We have our Myspace/walls of Jericho…

MI: And of course you’ve got www.wallsofjericho.com, correct? Okay sweetheart, you get ready and I will see you tomorrow night!

CK: Thank you so much - see you then.

The Ascension of Otep Shamaya and her Legion

http://www.otep.com
I found Otep to be interesting and honest and extremely private about her life. So far, she has been the most interesting interview of 2008. I think it would be sheer hell to try to write her biography, because her private life is just that-private.
*Special Editor’s note-In all of the years that MusicIncider has been around, a man has always been the cover-and we are honored to announce that Otep is our first woman to grace the cover for issue 8.*
MI: What’s your birth date, even though we know you’ve lived five lifetimes – what is your birth date this lifetime?
Otep: Oh, I don’t discuss my personal life.
MI: Who are your influences as a poet and why?
Otep: Um, I read everyone from the beat poets, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton to Sappho and a variety of others. I guess I’m just really inspired by people that push the envelope to try to break free of the rigid and archaic rules that were set forth by some people who no longer seem to matter.
MI: What was it like for you to be a street poet?
Otep: It was interesting. I learned a lot, I think, about human nature and it gave me a profound respect for people who do it for the love of it. That’s why I did it. I never thought I’d be where I am now. I always created because I had to, not because I wanted to.
MI: Who are the members of the band – besides you, we know who you are…
Otep: On bass guitar is Evil Jay, on drums is Brian Wolf, and on guitar is Aaron Nordstrom.
MI: What is your favorite track off of Ascension, and why?
Otep: I’m not sure I have a favorite track; each song is as important to me as the others. I think maybe ‘Perfectly Flawed’ has the most personal point of view in it, and that might be very special to me.
MI: What do you want people to know about you?
Otep: That no matter if I succeed or not, I did my best.
MI: One of your messages is “Art Saves”. How do you think art saves people?
Otep: Well, it saved me. It gave me an outlet for all my emotional adventures and all the things I was feeling and had no way of understanding why I was feeling them or why things were happening to me. It gave me a deeper understanding of love and hate and about righteous revenge. I think art is a teacher and it allows you to step outside yourself and become a narrator of your own life.
MI: Do you think there should be more art and music programs in the public school system?
Otep: Oh, absolutely. And I think they should make them fun instead of making them so…I don’t know. ..When I was younger I never really enjoyed those classes because they were taught by people who didn’t seem to care about art or music, so in return I didn’t care about it in the terms that they wanted me to. So I wish we could get some people in there that truly love just the crafting of music, then perhaps you would see more people willing to take on their own emotions through art versus acting out and lashing out like we’ve seen in the past.
MI: Tell me about your legion and what you plan to do with it.
Otep: Are you referring to the website?
MI: Yes.
Otep: Otep.com is a place to allow fans to interact and socialize and connect and share their thoughts and art and that’s what we’re hoping to do is to connect people together and create a strong community.
MI: Tell me about your solo project, Imaginary Friends, and when will that be coming out?
Otep: Imaginary Friends is more of a side project than a solo project because I will be writing songs with the band. It will just be a different adventure into the whatever-it-is that makes me tick creatively. Where some people- if I put out a spoken word album, which is a lot of what it will be, people might say “Oh, it’s not heavy.” So instead I decided to try to make it a new animal, a new creature that can devour anything that it chooses without being judged by the past records of Otep.
MI: Now, recently when I was at your show at the Masquerade, you brought up Kurt Cobain. How has Kurt Cobain affect your life?
Otep: Kurt Cobain’s music – Nirvana – the band – they taught me what music can be, and how powerful it was, and how important it can be, and how serious you should take it whether you’re an artist creating it or a listener enjoying it. I miss those days, being surrounded by great music. It’s where I learned about music and found my own identity, and at least discovered portions of it through music and art that were very important. So I look at the state of music now, where here I am now, a musician, and I’m surrounded by people that don’t care about it as much as I assumed other bands did at that time. Kurt was just one of the most talented songwriters that ever existed and we miss him.
MI: Now, what do you think about his diaries being published?
Otep: Well, even on the outside of his notebook he wrote, “If you read this, you will judge” I don’t know if I would have released his personal notebooks. I mean, I know that people WANT to know about people, but I don’t know that those were ever meant for anyone else to read other than…I don’t know how I feel about it. I mean, I’m a fan, so of course I want to know more about him but I would have rather him release it, and of course he’s not here. I guess he has a daughter, so if it helps take care of his daughter then maybe it’s okay in some strange, surrogate way.
MI: When I do your CD review I am dedicating your cover of “Breed” to Francis Bean.
Otep: Oh, thank you.
MI: Why do you think heavy music is so important to people?
Otep: I just think its offers an emotional release that other music doesn’t. Especially the dynamic music, where there are a lot of twists and turns in the songs. At least you can enjoy that sort of labyrinth of emotion versus something that’s just placid, where you just stay in one realm. I think aggressive music or interesting music offers the listener a larger feast.
MI: One of my favorite songs off the CD is “Confrontation” – Are you getting a lot of backlash from that song?
Otep: No. People are embracing it and supporting it. A lot of people who consider themselves political activists – it’s becoming their theme song.
MI: Which leads us to our next question – if George W. Bush were sitting in the room with us, what would you say to him?
Otep: I don’t even know if I would want to speak to him because what good would it do. He wouldn’t listen. I guess maybe if I had a shovel in my hands maybe that would be different. I guess I would just tell him, how dare he let us down and let down the people that entrusted him and that he is a miserable failure and the greatest thing he could have ever done with his professional life - he allowed greed and hubris and ego to destroy it. And now he is going to be a laughingstock for the rest of his days.
MI: What message are you trying to get across with the album Ascension?
Otep: That obstacles are a part of life but through belief and hard work you can overcome.
MI: Do you find that the metal community treats you differently because you are a woman?
Otep: I don’t really know because I don’t necessarily consider us part of the metal community. I mean, I know our music is partly metal, but we’re also more of a fusion band. Anyone who is different or a minority or not of the majority will sometimes be treated differently. I’m sure that women across the board in every sort of walk of life get treated differently in every job there is. I think there is a certain idea about what role women should play. I don’t play that role and don’t know the role. It’s not a conscious thing to actively subvert it. I’m just being myself and what I am and who I am doesn’t fit into any sort of cultural costume or social identity that someone else decided I should wear.
MI: How has the music business treated you during your career with Capitol and then when you jumped over to Koch?
Otep: I think the music industry doesn’t know what to think of me and that’s fine. I don’t care what they think of me. If I wanted to pander to them I could, and I’ve been offered opportunities to pander and I won’t. Because that’s not important to me. What’s important to me is looking back on my body of work and being proud of it. And if it takes a little longer to get to my desired goals, just on a personal level or financial level or whatever, that’s okay. At least I did it the right way and I did it with integrity. I was happy to leave Capitol, they were a bunch of miserable failures who celebrated failing. Kock is a group of winners who are hungry for victory.
MI: So you’re finally at home, you found the place.
Otep: Right now. I mean, Capitol was a great place when I first signed there and then a new president was hired, and he fired everyone that I thought was important and vital to new music and art. He fired them and hired a bunch of people who had no clue what they were doing and that was evident in the way that Capitol Records failed and was absorbed into Virgin Records and now it’s the Capitol Records Music Group.
MI: Do you ever see yourself having your own label at some time?
Otep: Well, Koch has given me the ability to start my own label through their distribution company when I’m ready, and so, yes, I will.
MI: Who do you think was the greatest musician or vocalist of all time?
Otep: I have no idea, I mean, Pavarotti was pretty great. Thom York’s pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of Morrison.
MI: Has Morrison affected your lyrics in any way or your vocals or your inspirations for your writings?
Otep: Oh, sure, the Doors themselves have. The way that that band allowed poetry to fuse into their songs gave me my opening and showed me that all things are possible in music.
MI: We know that Jim self published his own book of poetry like you did – are you planning to release another book?
Otep: Sure, I think I would one day. Probably my next one might be illustrations instead of poetry.
MI: Your music is your religion – what do you think makes music a religion?
Otep: Well, I think that religion is a means of getting to a destination, an eternal destination, and I hope that I treat music in a way that I learn enough so that I can make the best art that I can create and that it somehow inspires and motivates and provokes people to be creative, to be better than what others tell them they can be and hopefully inspire them into action.
MI: What would you advise young female vocalist just getting into the business to watch out for?
Otep: In this current climate, I would advise them to NOT get into the business.
MI: Why?
Otep: Because record industries are failing. They don’t know anything about how to maintain labels. I would suggest working on your craft a little longer, let the industry catch up with some people who are really smart and coming up in the ranks and sort of taking over the industry. Really cement a positive plan of action and get everything back on track. As far as from an artistic standpoint, I would suggest, if you are a lyricist, that you read more than you write and you take care of your throat as if it were a 700 year old violin.
MI: Who influenced your vocal style?
Otep: Everyone from Kurt Cobain to Jim Morrison to Mazzy Star to Corey Taylor to Jonathan Davis to old blues singers like John Lee Hooker, to Chino from the Deftones.
MI: Tell me about the best tour you’ve been on.
Otep: Probably this one, the one we’re on now. This has been the most artistically fulfilling tour. The band is strong, the fans are insane, I’ve got three records under my belt so we’re able to play songs off all three albums, we’re headlining. We’ve done other headlining tours in the past, and I’ve done it for my second record, but we were always going through some sort of turmoil, whether it was personal or professional but this time, we’re soaring. We’re ascending.
MI: Do you see yourself ever getting back on Ozzfest?
Otep: If there is an Ozzfest, sure. I think they’re only doing one or two shows this year. If there is ever an Ozzfest, I would love to be on Ozzfest again. We had amazing times on that…Sharon and all the people who run the festivals are amazing and it was incredible to play in front of that many people.
MI: Do you believe in psychics and the paranormal?
Otep: I believe it’s possible. I don’t know if I believe in anyone in particular but I believe it’s possible, sure.
MI: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Otep: Oh, yeah, my family’s been called the friend of the dead. We’ve been visited with spirits for a long time. There’s a club in Milwaukie called The Rave, and it’s situated across the street from where Jeffrey Dahmer used to live and it’s supposed to be haunted by a bunch of ghosts and every time we play there we’re seeing things and hearing things. I’m an avid viewer of the Ghosthunters show on SciFi.
MI: If you were really pissed at someone, and you could pour a bucket of flesh eating ants over them, who would it be?
Otep: Alive or dead?
MI: Your call, baby.
Otep: I guess it would have to be Hitler.
MI: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could bring one book, one person and one bottle of liquor, what would you bring?
Otep: I suppose I would bring The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson. It’s different letters of his, different writings, very enjoyable. Another person? I would bring, I’ll have to think about that. And I’d bring a nice red wine, perhaps a burgundy from the French, something from the eighteenth century. I’m not a big drinker. For the desert island, I would probably bring Megan Fox. And no comment further on that.
MI: If you were god for a day, what would you change?
Otep: I would end the mystery of if I existed. I would let the world know that I existed. And I would clear up all the other nonsense about why people kill each other over religious purposes and I would destroy every book that…we’d sit down here and people would know truth which is now biased.
MI: Where do you see the band and your music in five years from now?
Otep: I hope we’re still doing what we’re doing now, just that we’re better at it. Every record we evolve and every record we get stronger, every record we get more skilled, every record we become open to new ideas and I hope we’re still making important music and turning people on and switching them off from the square world.
MI: Describe the average Otep fan to me.
Otep: Someone who is intelligent, and passionate, artistic, and who is tired of being spoon-fed a bunch of cultural and social limitations and overall bullshit and is looking for something important to be a part of and be able to express themselves in a manner that is true lucidity, true emancipation. That’s the kind of people we have. We can’t really say that they’re long haired Heshers who listen to Iron Maiden. We definitely have those, and we’re lucky to have them, but we also have that don’t necessary listen to heavy music that are finding their way to us.
MI: I’ve got a great compliment for you – when I was shooting you at the Masquerade, my second shooter came with me, and she normally listens to happy, joy-joy music and she goes, “Oh my god, she’s so fantastic” I knew she’d love you; now she’s got your CD going in the car 24 hours a day.
Otep: Oh, that’s very nice, that’s an honor. And I think that’s what’s happening, and it perplexes people who do radio programming – “Why should we let Otep on our station; they’re too heavy.” What they don’t understand that it’s the message that motivates people, not necessarily the music.
MI: If someone offered you a museum exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute, what would the Otep exhibit be like?
Otep: A lot of books, probably just a big piling of books and musical instruments thrown around and maybe some…I don’t know! Its’a good question, I’ve never been asked that before.
MI: You’re also involved with Tori Amos’ RAINN network, how did you get involved with that?
Otep: Someone from the site contacted me and asked if I would be interested endorsing it and promoting it and I said absolutely. We’ve been involved and I hope to get involved more.
MI: You have done so much for your fans, if they could do something back for you, what would you want them to do?
Otep: Just keep being authentic, and don’t ever let anyone tell them who they are supposed to be, including me. And if they have a dream, go for it and don’t ever stop.
MI: How do you feel about the legalization of marijuana?
Otep: I think it should happen. I mean, I’m not a smoker but I think that it’s silly that it doesn’t happen. Alcohol and tobacco are absolute poisons to our body and they’re just a part of our culture. There is a number that shows that we spend more on alcohol and tobacco than we do on our school system, that says something about our culture. But I think that it’s some old silly fear that we have about marijuana that should be thrown away; there are health benefits, allegedly, and in California, medicinally, it’s already legalized. I know a lot of people that it’s helped, and they’re not on anxiety medications or sleep aids anymore.
MI: Do you believe in reincarnation?
Otep: Uh, sure, why not?
MI: Who do you think that you were in a past life?
Otep: I don’t know who I was, but I know who’d I want to be. There’s an ancient Irish Queen, named Boudicca, and she led her armies against Rome, which I think is pretty swell. Either her or the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who held schools. All of them led hard lives…I’m actually kinda happy being who I am right now. In a past life, I would miss things like air conditioners and wi-fi. My laptop, I’d miss that. Also, I wouldn’t mind going back and being someone for a day, but it would have to be on a good day, not like a bad day.
MI: Do you think that Myspace has helped Otep in any way?
Otep: Oh sure. Before that, we were still using the internet to connect to our fans; there were just not a whole lot of technologies supporting our efforts. We used to use IM, and we’d chat that way, and we had our message boards. Now it seems we can connect with them on a greater scale.
MI: I love that you are bringing your diaries online to your fans on Myspace and on Youtube. If a fan were to write you on Myspace, would you answer them or would someone else answer them for you?
Otep: Depends on who reads it and how important it is. If it’s someone just saying hi or whatever…there are some people that require a response and there are some people that, although it’s a sweet message, we get so many I don’t have time to answer all of them. I mean, it’s hard to make time to answer all of them, because it gets into replies back and forth and bigger and bigger. We do have a really great staff of dedicated people who work on the site for free and they are long time Otep fans and they actually manage a lot of the profile for us so things don’t get forgotten. There’s times when we’re on the road where we don’t have Wi-fi or connection to the internet so we can’t update the site.
MI: How does your family feel about your career?
Otep: They support it.
MI: If you had a million dollars to donate to any charity, what would it be?
Otep: That’s a tough one; there are a lot of them. I guess St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
MI: Do you want to end this with a special message to your fans, my love?
Otep: I would like to thank them for all their support and belief. It empowers me every day.