Andy Biersack is the lead singer for the band Black Veil Brides. The band is currently on tour with Avenged Sevenfold and is scheduled to release a new EP called “Rebel” in December. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Andy about the EP as well as the bands plans for 2012.
Adam Lawton: Can you give us an idea of how the band all came together?
Andy Biersack: I had the idea for the band when I was 14/15. I had been playing with local musicians in Southern Ohio which is where I grew up. Playing in bands was always sort of my thing. It wasn’t until after I moved out to Los Angeles that things started to come together. In the winter of 2009 the band became more than just a project.
AL: Black Veil Brides is a very visual band. What were the some of the initial ideas related to the bands look?
AB: We never sat down and said we were going to be a band that wears makeup. It just came out of stuff we all liked growing up. I was always really into horror movies and comics growing up. I also love Motley Crue and Kiss. When it came time to have a band it was sort of a natural thing. The look of the band is just something we all enjoy.
AL: Can you tell us about the bands new EP, “Rebel”?
AB: We had a little bit of time between Warped tour and our last European tour so we decided to go into the studio. We all had been itching to get back in the studio and we just didn’t want to wait till spring time. We had a couple songs that we like to listen and drink to on the boss so we recorded those along with a new song which we didn’t have done in time for the last album. It’s really just something new for our fans and for us to listen to in our cars.
AL: How did you guys choose the final cover songs that made it on the EP?
AB: “Unholy” was a song that we all had agreed upon from the start. For me I had the “Kiss: Konfidential” VHS which contained the music video for the song. That was something personal I brought to the band a long time ago. We had thrown some other ideas out there but ultimately we landed on “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol. The song came together really fast and I am proud of how it turned out. We are actually playing that song live each night.
AL: How did you get Zakk Wylde involved with the project?
AB: Zakk is a hero of ours and he really is a legend in the rock/metal community. Our manager Blasko had played with Zakk in Ozzy Osbourne’s band so it really was just a phone call. Zakk was into the idea and came in and put the solo down. It was really a fun experience.
AL: What is the release date for the EP?
AB: As of now we are just saying Christmas. When it gets a little closer we plan to announce an actual date.
AL: What are the bands plans for the rest of 2011 and into 2012?
AB: We are currently touring with Avenged Sevenfold and after that we have some international shows lined up. We are going into the studio in the spring and we hope to have a new album out buy this time next year. Once the album is released we plan to hit the U.S. hard as it will have been some time since we last toured the U.S. extensively.
A big thank you goes out to Kevin C. for setting this interview up and to Cody .B for help with some of the questions.
For more info on Andy and Black Veil Brides you can go to www.bvbarmy.com