Alissa White-Gluz is the lead singer for the heavy metal group Arch Enemy. Alissa stepped up to the microphone after long time lead vocalist Angela Gossow chose to retire from performing earlier this year. The band has just released their 9^th studio album and first featuring Alissa titled “War Eternal”. Media Mikes spoke with Alissa about how she came to join the band, what it was like working on the new record and the bands current tour plans.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on how you came to join the band?
Alissa White-Gluz: I had been working in the metal scene for about 10 years. I had created a bunch of bands myself and I also sang along other bands such as Kamelot. I was friends with Angela Gossow for years and at some point last year she and Michael Ammott contacted me with news that Angela wanted to retire from singing and take over the role as manager for the group. They then asked if I would be interesting in filling that spot as the wanted to continue the band. This was a huge shock to me but also a great honor. I was very excited for the opportunity because I was familiar with Arch Enemy and a fan of their music. We had such great chemistry from the first time we worked together.

AL: Was there any hesitation on your part to join the group knowing that Angela was still going to be involved?
AWG: I spoke with Angela right away about this and she told me that this was her decision to step down from the band as the singer and that she now only wanted to manage the band. She wanted me to know that I was free to do my thing and that there would be no ego’s involved.

AL: What were the recording sessions like for the new album?
AWG: The band had already started working on instrumental tracks. They sent those over to me to put vocals on and I was just blown away. The songs were just so good. They were 100% Arch Enemy but with a twist. When we got together to work on more songs we realized we had quite a big range of styles. I brought a new background of influences. I worked very closely with Michael and we each wrote about 5 songs. It was a crazy time as we all had huge changes going on in our lives. The album was a very cathartic experience.

AL: The band has already released two video for songs off the new album. Are there plans to release anymore?
AWG: We have a whole arsenal of stuff that has yet to be released. We are very prepared as we didn’t want to just tell the world that I was the new singer. We wanted to inform our fans as to what was going on and what they could be expecting from the new album. We had a really crazy tour schedule lined up and we wanted to have everything set before we started that. There’s a lot of great stuff to be watching for.

AL: The album is going to be available with a number of bonus options. Can you tell us about some of those packages?
AWG: All the packages look really great! Fans will be able to get everything from the arm band that we wear on stage to a special necklace that coincides with the album. There is a really beautifully printed art book that comes with the vinyl version of the album. We also are including with some of the versions bonus discs that include what we are calling “Shades of War” which are the demos I recorded for the album. There is also a guitar notation disc that Michael and Nick put together which is really cool as well. There are just so many different things fans can get by pre-ordering the album.

AL: Can you tell us about your current tour plans?
AWG: We are basically touring non-stop until next year. We are overseas right now then I have two weeks off then we leave for the U.S. with Kreator. We also will be doing some festival sows here and there as well so our tour schedule is just insane.

AL: How has the fan reception been since you started performing live with the band?
AWG: It’s been fantastic.  I totally can understand skepticism when a band changes its singer. I have seen it happen myself where a group changes singers and it didn’t really work out. I feel that if the group makes solid music and the group works well together then nothing can take away from that. If the music is good then it’s good no matter what but it has to be done the right way. I think in our case things worked out really well. We were very aware of things that could happen and we paid extra close attention to ensure everything went the way we wanted. Fans have been chanting my name which is just been really great!

Eric Johnson is a platinum selling guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who’s extensive career dates back to the mid 1970’s. Johnson’s latest offering is a live album titled “Europe Live” which is a collection of tracks recorded during Johnson’s recent European tour. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Eric recently about the new release as well as his current plans for a new studio album.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in doing a live album as opposed to a traditional studio album?
Eric Johnson: We were touring Europe and at some point during that run the company who put out the European version of my album “Up Close” contacted me asking if they could record some of the shows. It wasn’t anything that was planned ahead of time. After everything was done they sent me the tracks to see what I thought. We went through all the tapes and there ended up being quite a bit of stuff we were able to work with.

AL: So the album is a collection of takes from a number of different shows?
EJ: We recorded 4 different cities with the bulk of the performances coming from the Amsterdam show. The forth city we recorded in was Paris and that was just a board tape. It was never meant for anything. I decided to put one acoustic song on the record which was different from the electric stuff and that ended up coming from that board tape. What you hear is the actual two track tape from the board as there was nothing we could really do to that track being is was done from the board.

AL: What do find to be the most challenging aspect of doing a live album?
EJ: Keeping everything live and performance oriented is certainly the hardest part. When you have that reference point of the live material there is a raw spark that happens. When you deviate from that it’s really obvious. This has been a great thing for me to do and I have found a lot of entertainment in it.

AL: Do you see yourself doing more live recording as opposed to studio recording?
EJ: Yes, Definitely. Even working live in the studio is something I am open for. The more you are able to do in real time the more energy and emotion I think the work will have. This has made me rethink my entire way of doing things as I want to be able to incorporate more of the live process whenever I can.

AL: For the shows that were recorded to you alter the night’s set list in any way from the nights that weren’t being recorded?
EJ: Not really. We just did our sets and I didn’t think much about the recordings. Other than a couple extra lines running off the amps to the back room I never actually saw what was going on. There wasn’t a vibe of we were making a live record it was more of just someone was out there recording the show that night. Everything was very off the cuff.

AL: With your last studio album being a reworking of the “Up Close” album do you have plans to start on a new studio record any time soon?
EJ: Right now I am currently working with Mike Stern on a collaboration record. We have finished all of the recording and we are in the middle of mixing as we speak. That album should be out in November. The album is sort of a fusion record as Mike comes from the jazz world and I from the rock world. It’s mostly an instrumental record with the exception of one track. The album is very song oriented and not just a bunch of riffing. I am really excited about it as it turned out great. I also am finishing up a solo acoustic record that I hope to get out soon. Doing an acoustic record is something that I have wanted to do for about 10 years now. I am a big folk music fan so I am excited to do something in that style.

AL: When you are working on a record outside of the rock genre what steps do you take to adjust your playing and tone?
EJ: I just try to keep my ears open and learn more about music. I try and take the new things I have learned and incorporate those things into my own sound and playing. Being around other musicians from different areas they are naturally going to play things that I don’t know. I am always listening to try and make my playing better and to support those I am playing with. It’s been a great learning experience for me.

AL: Do you have any tour plans in place for this spring/summer?
EJ: We have a 3 week Midwest tour planned for August. That will take us to Chicago, Minneapolis and a few other places. In November Mike and I will be doing a 2 week tour of the East Coast.

Kevin Kliesch is a composer that recently earned his first Emmy nomination for his work on the hit Disney Junior series “Sofia The First”. He has worked as a composer and orchestrator on over 100 feature films spanning the past seventeen years, including “Frozen”, “The Hangover” and “Tangled”. He also received his first Annie Award nomination for his work on the “Thundercats” series in 2012. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kevin about his work both composing and orchestrating.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got started composing for the Disney Junior series “Sofia the First”?
Kevin Kliesch: I had worked as an orchestrator on “Tangled” in 2010 and became friends with the film’s editor. After hearing my mockups and orchestrations from Alan Menken’s score, he happened to recommend me to the head of music at the Disney Channel since they were looking for a composer to score their new series “Sofia the First.” I met with the Sofia team and they liked my background, so I got the job.

MG: Congrats on your first Emmy nomination for your work on the show; what do you enjoy most about composing for this show?
KK: Thanks! The best thing about writing for Sofia is that I get to write the traditional Disney-style music that we all grew up with. The producers wanted to stay away from typical cartoon music and instead draw on the lush sound of past Disney films, which I am honored to have been a part of, having worked as an orchestrator on “Enchanted,” “The Muppets” and “Tangled.”

MG: How is it going from a show like “Sofia the First” to working with DC Comics’ animated movies like “Superman: Unbound” and “Justice League: War”?
KK: The two are musically about as far apart as you can get! I really enjoy scoring the DC films because it gives me a chance to write in a completely different genre than the Disney style. I’ve always been a fan of action scores, so it’s great to be able to call up a different palette of sounds and get my superhero vibe going.

MG: “Frozen” and Tangled” are two of my favorite newer Disney films; tell us about your involvement with these films?
KK: I was the orchestrator on both of those films. On “Tangled,” I worked with the legendary Alan Menken on bringing his score to life. He would send me complete piano sketches and I would have to take those and make complete orchestra scores from those sketches. I also had to do computer mockups of all of the music so the directors and producers could hear what the score was going to sound like before we went to record it with a live orchestra. On “Frozen,” I didn’t have to do any of the mockups since the composer Christophe Beck did his own mockups, but I did wind up orchestrating about two thirds of the score from his sketches.

MG: Switching roles from orchestrator to composer; what do you enjoy most and why?
KK: As an orchestrator, I get to work on someone else’s vision of how the score should support the film’s narrative. As a composer, I get to create that vision myself – which is eminently enjoyable. Being able to translate emotion into music is both very challenging and rewarding.

MG: How does it differ doing a score for a film than it does for a television series?
KK: There’s not much difference in terms of how I approach the story. Both genres require that the music support the drama and the characters; I always strive to give emotional weight to what’s happening on screen. There’s also not much difference in the time I have to do each project. While a DC film might have 70 minutes of music, I’m usually given a few weeks to complete it. On my television series, I usually wind up writing 20 minutes per episode, and I get anywhere from 7-14 days to do that. Both genres require that I write about 3 minutes a day to reach my deadline.

MG: I have a two year old daughter, who loves “Sofia the First”; with you also having a young daughter, does it only making working on a show like this 100% better?
KK: Absolutely! My 6-year-old comes into my studio every day and asks me what episode I’m working on. Sometimes I’ll play the whole episode for her, which she loves because she gets to watch it before anyone else! I also really enjoy watching the episodes with her when they air on tv.

MG: Being a fan of the series; I have to ask was it a daunting task to redo the theme song for the reboot series of “Thundercats”?
KK: It was daunting only for the fact that the producers wanted to compress the 2-minute original theme song down into 10 seconds, so I had to figure out how not to make the die-hard fans angry!

MG: What else do you have in the cards for the rest of 2014 and onwards?
KK: “Sofia the First” has been renewed for a third season, so that will keep me busy well into 2015. I’ve also been approached to orchestrate a new ABC/Disney television series called “Galavant” which will have original songs written by Alan Menken and an original score by Christopher Lennertz. So I’m super-excited to be working with the Disney team again!

Scott Stapp is probably best known as the singer for the Grammy award winning rock band Creed who’s music dominated the airwaves in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. In 2005 after Creed’s initial breakup Stapp began a solo career with the release of “The Great Divide” which was certified platinum within a month of its release. Scott is back with his second solo album titled “Proof of Life” a very dark and personal record that reflects on Scott’s life over the past few years. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Scott recently about the album and his thoughts on the future of Creed.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some of the background that led up to the recording of this album?
Scott Stapp: This album to me symbolizes the next chapter in my life. It concludes the first half of my life and opens up the next. A lot of life was lived in between “The Great Divide” and now. I went through some of the darkest days as a human being between these two albums. I battled depression which led to fighting a battle with drugs and alcohol. That stuff was like a tornado that wrecked a lot of things in my life. This album really symbolizes me coming to grips with those things, understanding them and finding my way out. The school of hard knocks and life had to happen in order to get me to place to where I could write this record. I had to come out of the fog to be able to write this record. I had to realize that the stuff that happened in the past wasn’t going to happen again.

AL: What was it like revisiting some of those more painful memories while writing the album?
SS: It was very cathartic. It was part of the process of getting through and coming out of those periods. It was party of making peace with that and developing incite and an honest reflection on that so I could grow and mature. All though there were things I wish didn’t happen or wished I could forget I was able to repurpose those experiences and see that those things didn’t happen for nothing. There was purpose in those things so that I could pay it forward and share how I made it through. This added a deeper purpose to my life both in and out of rock and roll.

AL: Can you tell us about the song “Break Out” which you wrote with your son?
SS: Jagger actually wrote the first three lines of the chorus a few years ago however we never got around to finishing the song. I just kept challenging him to work on it and finish the song as he was working on being in a band with some friends of his. During the writing process this song kept coming in to my head. I was connecting with the theme and the words so I went to Jagger and told him I was going to finish the song he started. Part of me working on the song became an exercise and instruction to him on how to turn his ideas in to songs. He has some really great ideas and it was definitely a bonding experience for the both of us. When it came time to finish the song I worked with Julia Michaels which was really great. I liked seeing that we could connect over similar emotions.

AL: Can you tell us about the upcoming tour you have planned?
SS: We just wrapped up our first run of US and European shows which went really good. This will be the second round of shows in the states and I am really excited to be able to bring this music and performance out on tour. It’s a rock and roll show that also encapsulates our journey as human beings. I am very connected to that. The stage performance and my connection with the emotions in each song and how I connect with those things are very important to me. I want the audiences to not only feel the power of rock and roll but also feel the spirit and emotion that each song represents.

AL: You had a number of musicians perform on the CD. Will some of them also be a part of the live band?
SS: I was fortunate that in the studio I got to use the best of the best. I was able to use guys like Josh Freese and Kenny Arnoff to Tim Pierce and Phil X among others. There was a lot of chemistry during those studio sessions and it was important for me to capture that with the live band as well. I am really excited with the group of guys I have behind me. I have Andy Wood on guitar, Chad Szeliga former of Breaking Benjamin on drums, Travis Colmer is my second guitarist and then I have Andy Waldeck on bass. Andy is a really talented guy that has worked with Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and a bunch of others. These guys have such a desire and passion for this band and project. These guys have rekindled that fire and drive to perform. Its great working with like minded guys with that same passion for what they are doing.

AL: Do you feel this new found passion will transfer over to new Creed material?
SS: It’s always there. The door is never closed and we are still together. When the time is right and that fire and organic desire is all there I am sure we will make another record. Until then I don’t think it would be worth it as it would be a disservice to the fans.

Back in late 2006, the experimental metal band, Dog Fashion Disco, announced to their fans that they had decided to call it quits. They had just spent the last 12 years constantly pushing themselves to be more creative and crazy, playing different styles like ska, piano, and metal with many calling them circus metal. They had recently just released their sixth studio album, Adultery, and were reaching more fans than ever before. Since then, they have played a couple of reunion shows running through a marathon of fan favorites and keeping the camaraderie alive amongst the bandmates. In late 2013, the announcement was made that not only would DFD get back together, but they would be putting out a new album, called “Sweet Nothings”. They would then launch a highly successful Indiegogo campaign and realized that fans not only wanted a new album, but that they want two new albums, a music video and some overseas shows in Britain. Media Mikes recently caught up with the lead singer, Todd Smith, about their upcoming summer tour, the release of “Sweet Nothings” and the hectic schedule they’re about to enter.

Jeremy Werner: I guess the first thing that automatically comes to mind is what was it that lead you guys getting the band back together and put out another album?
Todd Smith: Since the break-up, we’d done several reunion shows and we’re all friends…so because the demand was still there and people were planting those ideas in our head about doing another tour, another album, so forth and so on, we figured why not? Like I said, we’re all very close friends. We enjoy creating and performing music together. It was just like a reunion with old friends who happen to make music together. It seemed like a no-brainer really.

JW: Your last album, back in 2006, “Adultery”, was what a lot of fans and critics would say is your best album. Was there any pressure heading back into the studio to match that same level or was it just business as usual?
TS: For the most part it was business as usual. Of course, opinions are subjective. I’m flattered that people love “Adultery” so much and are pleased that we went out on a high note, and I think we’re reemerging on a high note as well. Everyone who’s heard “Sweet Nothings”, is gushing over it and saying they love it. Will it be as well received as “Adultery”? I have no idea, but I think people are definitely gonna think it’s a solid release. I definitely do, the rest of the guys in the band do. The engineer that we recorded with said it was the best sounding he’s ever had come out of his studios. There’s a lot of positive things being said about the new album.

JW: Going back to the people who’ve heard it. You guys played the full album for a group of people that paid a certain amount towards your Indiegogo campaign. Was the room just ecstatic?
TS: Oh yeah, absolutely. There were loud cheers and applause after every song. A lot of smiles. As far as the comments when we were mingling after we played the record, they were gushing as well. They were really digging it. It’s a lot to digest in one sitting, but the reaction we got was very positive.

JW: Did the crowd have any favorites?
TS: I mean…they all seemed to be well received, but as for a crowd favorite…it’s kind of hard to tell. I had quite a few glasses of wine. (laughs) The memory’s a bit spotty, but I remember we all had a great time and they seemed to like every song, so I really can’t pinpoint a favorite.

JW: Now I remember a while back you mentioned that you guys might avoid playing new music on your upcoming tour, is that still true?
TS: Jason and I had a conversation that we totally misunderstood each other. I was saying that I would entertain performing two new songs, but we have such a catalogue of music, that I think giving people just a hint of a few new tunes and then just playing through a retrospective from each album we put out would probably be more pleasing to the crowd. So we’re going to do two new songs for the most part, every night. If for some reason we decided to just do one new song a night, that might happen as well.

JW: Going back through all your songs, what are some of the songs that you might be playing that you have rarely, if ever, played?
TS: Let me think…I mean we haven’t played in so long, I don’t remember what was in rotation back then, but we’re gonna revisit “Satanic Cowboy”. I’m trying to think what else…”Dr. Piranha”, we haven’t played that in a while. “Valley Girl Ventriloquist”, we’re gonna do that one. Pink Riots, we’re gonna do that one. Besides the reunion shows, they haven’t been played in many, many years. There’s gonna be plenty of songs to choose from every night. We’ll try to cover all our bases.

JW: Please tell me “Darkest Days” is one of those.
TS: One of those is “Darkest Days” (laughs)

JW: (laughs) Awesome, I love that song. With DFD’s music, it’s always been experimental. Sometimes it’s different from song to song or completely changes tempo within the song. It’s very Mr. Bungle with how you guys can just flip on a dime. So I gotta ask, with the new album, what kind of musical ideas went into this or is there a running theme on “Sweet Nothings”?
TS: There’s definitely not a running theme. The album is all over the place. It starts out with a jazz…smokey lounge…kind of 1940’s kind of vibe and then ends with a song that starts out acoustic country…mellow…goes to dub and ends with a three minute section of stoner rock doom metal. So it’s all over the place. We have a short attention span and we like a lot of different types of music so we tend to write a lot of different styles and try to incorporate them into an album. Even several styles into one song as you know. A lot of twists and turns, and I think our fans love twists and turns. They’re fun to perform live.

JW: I see you guys haven’t released a single yet. Is there a song you’re looking at as your first single?
TS: As far as I know, the first single would be a song called “Taste So Sweet”. It kind of goes back to maybe, “Committed to a Bright Future” era with a catchy hooky chorus, lots of horn lines. We’re making a video for that in July. So that’ll most likely be our first or second single. We had talked about a song as a lyric video, initially a song called “We Aren’t the World” which is more of an “Adultery” vibe. It has tons of horror lines, cello, lots of moods, lots of twists and turns, a big epic chorus. That would probably be the first one we do a lyric video for just to get something out there because we’re not available to do the video shoot and release the “Taste So Sweet” video until July.

JW: I want to touch upon your Indiegogo campaign for a bit. A lot of bands will put it up and will slowly watch the money crawl to their goal, but with you guys it was extraordinary how fast and how many people latched on as soon as it was live. I bet as a band, it’s a great feeling to reach your goal that quickly.
TS: To meet our goal of $30,000 in 27 hours was completely unexpected. I remember going about my day, that first day, and just seeing the totals just go up and up and up and up. I hadn’t checked in a few hours and they were way up. Our fans are absolutely incredibly and I don’t just say that lightly. Granted we’d possibly still be making music if we had no fans because we enjoy it, but they keep the train rolling. We’re very humbled by the generosity of everybody and how much they actually cared about DFD getting back together and how they care about whatever project we do. We’re very lucky in that respect.

JW: I’m sure before starting you guys didn’t have stretch goals in mind, but after that response, you got to. Even more amazing is reaching all of them. Didn’t you guys break the top 10 most successful Indiegogo music campaigns?
TS: Yeah. I think we’re in the top 10. In regards to the stretch goals, once we hit $30,000 and added the first stretch goal of $50,000 for the video, I mean I thought that was gonna peak and it just kept going and going. We ended up at $85,000 which is a staggering amount. Shows how much people love Dog Fashion Disco.

JW: You guys are incredibly busy with side projects like Polkadot Cadaver, El-Creepo, Knives Out and other things…and with such an impressive and positive response to DFD…do you think DFD now deserves your undivided attention and everything else kind of has to sit on the back burner for the time being?
TS: I would say that everything is on the back burner now. The last stretch goal was to do two albums to be released within a year of each other. So with all the tours we have coming up, there’s really no time to devote to anything else besides Dog Fashion Disco, which is fine. We just wrapped up, mixed, mastered, put a nice little bow on “Sweet Nothings” and we’re already psyched to get back into the studio, wishing it was happening next month. Everybody will go into their little corners and start writing and then we’ll reconvene in December and have another album out by next May or June.

JW: Might be too early, but do you have any ideas for the next album?
TS: Not really. I definitely wanna utilize the horns a lot like we did on “Sweet Nothings”. I mean, they’re just too good not to have. So ya know, a lot of twists and turns. Maybe have more extremes. I’d like to do like a 50’s doo-wop kind of song and then a song that’s just the heaviest thing we’ve ever done. Just a lot of polar opposite dimensions and dynamics to the album. And really like there are no rules, not like there are any rules on “Sweet Nothings”. Going into it, wanna try to do something new and push the envelope as far as what we’ve done before.

JW: So what is the future now of Polkadot Cadaver, El Creepo, Knives Out and other projects?
TS: It’s really hard to predict. I would love to do another El-Creepo record. Something that’s a little more acoustic and mellow. That’s always fun to do. Polkadot has a handful of shows that we’re doing until the end of this year. We’re going out with Bam Margera and his band in August, doing a run on the east coast and then doing a full national tour with him in October and November for Polkadot. So that would be the next in line to revisit after the next DFD record considering that that band tours as well. Kind of like a missed opportunity if we don’t put out a record and do more shows. I would say DFD and Polkadot would work simultaneously and then maybe El-Creepo would be the next thing to get to. As far as Knives Out or anything else, I would seriously doubt that there would be another album that we would put out with Knives Out. It doesn’t make any sense. The band doesn’t tour and the members aren’t available to do shows, so it’s like…what’s the point?

JW: Looking at this upcoming year, in terms of tours, it looks like the one big thing of note is that you guys will be heading across the big pond for the first time.
TS: This would actually be our second time. The first time Dog Fashion went over there was 2001.

JW: Oh shit, I guess my Dog Fashion Disco history is a bit rusty…so I guess the obvious dumb follow up question would be are you excited?
TS: We’re extremely excited and psyched that the first two shows have been sold out and that the third is on it’s way to being sold out. So that’s incredible, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. The weekend is gonna be a blast. We’re looking forward to it.

JW: Because it’s doing well in ticket sales, do you see yourself branching out in Europe?
TS: Our agent overseas is actively seeking out a support band for Dog Fashion Disco. Most likely that would happen next year. I would love to go deeper into Europe. That would be blast. So hopefully that will happen next summer.

JW: I’m out of questions, any last thing you wanna tell the fans?
TS: I just wanna say thanks for all the support on Indiegogo and support they constantly give us. Spread the word: the new Dog Fashion Disco album, “Sweet Nothings”, is coming out July 22nd. We’re psyched to be back on the road and hearing people’s reactions to the new album.

You can check out Dog Fashion Disco on their summer tour, ‘The Merica F*ck Yeah Tour’, playing alongside Psychostick and The Bunny The Bear, at the following dates:
May 29th: Amityville, NY
May 30th: Albany, NY
May 31st: Pennellville, NY
June 1st: Watkins Glen, NY
June 2nd: Trenton, NJ
June 3rd: Providence, RI
June 5th: Westland, MI
June 6th: Cleveland, OH
June 7th: Cherry Valley, IL
June 8th: Joliet, IL
June 9th: Minneapolis, MN
June 10th: Merriam, KS
June 11th: Waterloo, IA
June 12th: Des Moines, IA
June 13th: Lincoln, NE
June 14th: Denver, CO
June 16th: Salt Lake City, UT
June 17th: Sacramento, CA
June 18th: West Hollywood, CA
June 19th: Las Vegas, NV
June 20th: Tuscon, AZ
June 21st: Scottsdale, AZ
June 23rd: San Antonio, TX
June 24th: Houston, TX
June 25th: Fort Worth, TX
June 26th: Oklahoma City, OK
June 27th: St. Louis, MO
June 28th: Indianapolis, IN
June 29th: Columbus, OH

Psychostick is probably best known for their song “BEER!!”, the heavy metal anthem to irresponsible drinkers everywhere that made the rounds on the Internet back in the early 2000’s and popped up frequently on active rock stations across the country. They’ve had their tongue firmly planted in their cheek for nearly a decade and a half and now they’re about to enter a new chapter in their band history. After a successful Indiegogo campaign, Psychostick was able to raise the funds to build their very own studio in their home. That means they’ll be able to put out more music and content to their rabid comedy-metal fans. Media Mikes had a chance to catch up with the lead singer, Rawrb, about what kind of plans they got in the works and their upcoming summer tour with Dog Fashion Disco and The Bunny The Bear.

Jeremy Werner: I know the first thing people will wanna know is everything and anything about the new album you’re working on. So, is there anything new about the album you’d like to share with us that people might not already know about?
Rawrb: The only thing that’s been released about the new album has been “Obey the Beard”. The actual title and track listing hasn’t been announced yet because we’re still going back and forth on a lot of that stuff. We’ve recorded a lot of songs and it’s coming together. Once everything really starts to get finalized. We’ll really start releasing more info.

Jeremy: Do you guys have an estimated release date?
Rawrb: Hopefully early fall…I’m guessing.

JW: Now I know during the Indiegogo campaign, one of your stretch goals, if you raised the money, was to release a covers album. Sadly you guys didn’t reach that goal, but is a cover album still in the cards?
Rawrb: We talked about it, but we still might do it eventually. We were gonna do it sooner than later if we hit the stretch goal but we definitely want to. It’ll just be longer before we can.

JW: So you’re about to hit the road with Dog Fashion Disco and The Bunny The Bear…can fans heading out to the shows expect a new song on this upcoming tour?
Rawrb: We’re going back and forth on that one too. There’s one in particular we wanna play, but I’m not sure if we’re gonna have time. We’re a little bit short on the set for us, but I think we’re gonna try and squeeze another new one in there. We’ll see.

JW: A short set-list? It’s not a co-headlining tour with Dog Fashion Disco?
Rawrb: No, probably not, it’s pretty much their tour. They invited us out and we were very ecstatic to do that because .they still have a huge fanbase. I don’t know if you saw their Indiegogo, but they just blew it out of the water.

JW: Oh yeah. It was really impressive. It’s good to see both of you guys hitting your initial goals without a problem.
Rawrb: Yeah, so honestly, it’s not a co-headlining tour. We’re the opening act for them the whole tour.

JW: Now I saw they’re heading overseas for the first time to play three nights in England…so is that a sign that maybe you guys are heading overseas for the first time?
Rawrb: We’re trying. We’ve made a few new contacts and it’s the closest it’s ever been so I’m pretty optimistic. I think it will happen, maybe this year or maybe next year, hopefully. I’m hoping that it will happen later this year because we’ve been overdue for this for a long time. We have a pretty good following overseas and we’ve just never had an opportunity jump over there because of…silly reasons like money (laughs).

JW: So going back to the new studio you guys were able to build…what exactly does it mean for the future of Psychostick?
Rawrb: We’ll be able to produce music more frequently. One of the biggest challenges and why it’s been so long since we’ve had a new album, is that we tour so much and don’t have the resources to sit down and just crank out another album on a more frequent basis, but now we’ll be able to do that. I’m hoping we’ll release more music, more frequently. Instead of waiting three years, it’ll be a year and a half or less. We live in our studio too, so we can wake up and write a song and record it then and there. It’s really nice to be able to do that. A lot of the obstacles have been removed so we can get a lot more done and there will be a lot more stuff coming.

JW: What musical direction will you go with now that you have this studio? Will you be focusing on cranking out more albums or maybe a couple EP’s here and there or will it be like the video posted a while back…your cover of “Reading Rainbow”?
Rawrb: We put out the “Reading Rainbow” cover a couple weeks ago and that was just us testing out the studio. We just wanted to see how it was gonna work. It happened really fast and we were super excited. We’re gonna do full length albums and little tidbits like “Reading Rainbow” We’re gonna try and do more covers too because we have a great idea and we can’t sell it because it’s owned by somebody else. So since it’s a cover, we can just go crazy with it. There’s no limits to this now, except for time…(laughs)…we’re excited.

JW: Now that you have your own studio, are you guys thinking about dropping from your label and creating your own?
Rawrb: We haven’t really thought about it. We’re very happy with Rock Ridge. We handle all of our own production, they don’t have any say in that and that’s part of the reason why we love them is because we can do what we want. We built the studio so we can crank out whatever we want and when we want.

JW: Is there anything else you want your fans to know?
Rawrb: We’re working on new stuff and there’s gonna be a lot more content like videos and gags and things like that, that we got planned. When it hits, you’ll know. It’s gonna be non-stop and there’s gonna be more music from us now that we have a studio. So we’re excited about all these things and I think our fans will be really happy with what we come out with because we are. And that’s the first step, we have to like it, before we let it out…(laughs)…it’ll be good.

You can check out Psychostick on their summer tour, ‘The Merica F*ck Yeah Tour’, playing alongside Dog Fashion Disco and The Bunny The Bear, at the following dates:
May 29th: Amityville, NY
May 30th: Albany, NY
May 31st: Pennellville, NY
June 1st: Watkins Glen, NY
June 2nd: Trenton, NJ
June 3rd: Providence, RI
June 5th: Westland, MI
June 6th: Cleveland, OH
June 7th: Cherry Valley, IL
June 8th: Joliet, IL
June 9th: Minneapolis, MN
June 10th: Merriam, KS
June 11th: Waterloo, IA
June 12th: Des Moines, IA
June 13th: Lincoln, NE
June 14th: Denver, CO
June 16th: Salt Lake City, UT
June 17th: Sacramento, CA
June 18th: West Hollywood, CA
June 19th: Las Vegas, NV
June 20th: Tuscon, AZ
June 21st: Scottsdale, AZ
June 23rd: San Antonio, TX
June 24th: Houston, TX
June 25th: Fort Worth, TX
June 26th: Oklahoma City, OK
June 27th: St. Louis, MO
June 28th: Indianapolis, IN
June 29th: Columbus, OH

Jesse Ketive is the guitarist for the Queens, NY metal band Emmure. The group released their 6th studio album in April of this year via Victory records titled “Eternal Enemies”. The album landed at number 4 on the Top Hard Rock charts giving the band some solid ground to stand on as they join this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes spoke with Jesse recently about the album’s release and what the band is most looking forward to during this summer’s tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us the lowdown on the band’s new album “Eternal Enemies”?
Jesse Ketive: We mostly stuck with the same formula that we have always used but added in a few new tricks. The biggest thing with this record is how the vocals and instrumentation go back and forth.  Things like this always seem to happen during production because we hear something happen that was unplanned and like it so we keep it. Those are pleasant surprises.

AL: What is a general studio session like for the band?
JK: Ever since the very first album I have recorded all of the guitar and bass. Sometimes the other guys will come in and throw some things down but for the most part I am the guy doing the recording. We all do different things and contribute to one another’s ideas.

AL: What steps do you take to try and evolve your sound while still keeping in-line with what you are known for musically?
JK: Our songs don’t have standard structures. We like to change up the flow and style of things. Sometimes a song will be short and sometimes it will be a bit longer. We just try and keep things aggressive with a groovy pace.

AL: What are you guys most looking forward to about being a part of Mayhem Festival this summer?
JK: We are ready to get out there and have a great time and put on an awesome set. We have some shows lined up in Canada and overseas where we will be working on refining the set so it’s going to be really great.

AL: What was it that made you choose Mayhem Festival over a traditional solo tour?
JK: There are a lot of bands and tours that go out during the summer. They all sport great lineups and to go out on your own it can be very easy to get passed over. So it’s that “if you can’t beat them, join them” mentality. You look for a package that best fits your style and you go out there and put on some great shows. Everyone involved with Mayhem is great so joining up with them again was an easy decision.

AL: What are the plans for the band after Mayhem wraps up?
JK: We have a very exciting headlining tour lined up for the fall/winter seasons. I can’t announce it just yet but we will be out there doing shows for sure.

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Levi Benton is the lead singer for the Metal-core band Miss May I. The group has just released their 4th studio album titled “Rise of the Lion” which debuted at number 21 on the US Billboard chart. Along with the release of the new album the band will also be a part of this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes spoke with Levi recently about the creation of the new album and what they are most looking forward to about this summer’s tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on the recording of the new album?
Levi Benton: This time around we were really able to give the album more of a grown up sound. We had time to sit down and really think about the record as a whole as our last couple albums were done in between touring so our time was limited. With “Rise of the Lion” we were able to just focus on the album and not worry about anything else. This record is more diverse and one that I think that will be a timeless record that doesn’t get old. This record is a lot more than just riff after riff. Having producer Terry Date involved helped make the record diverse along with giving it a really old school metal sound.

AL: The new album is very melodic. Was this something that happened consciously or just came out naturally as the sessions progressed?
LB: I think that element came out due to the fact of having that extra time to work on the songs. We went in with the record written and then Terry put us in stations and had us rewrite the songs as much as possible. The songs heard on our previous releases were pretty much the first draft of those songs. With the new record your hearing songs that were rewritten at least five different times. What you are hearing is the best of the best. I think that’s what brought the melody out in a lot of the songs.

AL: At what stage of the process do you generally start bringing lyrics in?
LB: We always do lyrics last. I like to divide out the sounds and see how I feel about each one. I really try to wait until the song is basically fully written before I add my parts to it. I think it’s easier for me than trying to add lyrics then because if something needs a little bit of changing to fit a lyric or something then we can just length or shorten a section.

AL: Can you tell us about the videos you guys shot for this release?
LB: Prior to the album’s release we shot three separate videos. Two of those have been released so far and the last one will be coming out shortly. This third video is probably our most cinematic release to date. It’s a bit gory and was a totally different vibe for us. I can tell everyone that we shot it in black and white.

AL: What are you guys looking forward to most about being a part of this year’s Mayhem Festival?
LB: I am looking forward to playing for a heavier crowd. Some of the tours we have done in the past we were the scary band that made everyone run so it will be great to get up there in front of giant families of metal heads.

AL: What was it that appealed to you most about going out on a package tour as opposed to a solo headlining tour?
LB: The new record has put us in a whole new world. We sort of started the transition with our last record and we have continued following through with that by going out with bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and Killswitch Engage. That has helped us find our place in the metal world and led us to signing on to play Mayhem with groups like Korn and Cannibal Corpse. It’s going to be great to get up there in front of fans that just completely love metal music.

AL: What are the bands pans after the Mayhem Festival wraps up?
LB: We will be out this whole year promoting the record. There are a bunch of things in talks but I can’t talk about them just yet for fear of getting my hands chopped off. (Laughs)

Sal Lococo is the lead singer for the New York hardcore band Sworn Enemy. The band is set to release their first new album in 5 years titled “Living on Borrowed Time”. Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Sal about the album the current state of the hardcore music scene and what type of tour plans the band has in place to support their new release.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on the new album?
Sal Lococo: The new album has 11 tracks of basically ripping your head off music. Sworn Enemy hasn’t really deviated from their formula for writing so don’t let the fact that this record has new players on it change your thoughts

AL: With that said the album has a much heavier sound when compared to the bands previous albums. What do you think was the main contributing factor to that?
SL: I’m sure that has a lot to do with 2 different guitar players from our last release. They have a different writing style from Lorenzo and we can hear the subtle difference but all and all it still has that Sworn Enemy sound

AL: With almost 5 years between the new album and the previous release do you find it hard to reconnect with the bands fan base?
SL: From the shows we have been playing over the past 5 years I haven’t seen that at all. I think most of our fans were just waiting for us to get back on our feet and release some new material after most members left the band.

AL: Traditional hardcore seems to be a bit of a rarity these days. What is your take on the current HC scene?
SL: To be honest I’ve been out of the loop when it comes to music so I’m not really sure what is going on with the HC scene maybe you can fill me in on what’s going on. (Laughs)

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour plans?
SL: The new record comes out May 13th and our tour starts May 17th at this year’s Black and Blue bowl. We are all looking forward for the show as well as the upcoming tour. We also have plans to head back to Europe at the year’s end and then we want to try and be part of some bigger US tours to get us right back in into the swing of things

AL: Besides the new album and subsequent tour do you have any other projects in the works you would like to mention?
SL: Right now the only project me and the guys will be working on is getting Sworn Enemy back into top form. Once we accomplish that then we can talk about other projects

Lauri “Varulven” Ounapuu is the lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the folk heavy metal band Metsatöll.  Formed in 1999 in the Baltic region of Northern Europe Metsatöll has been pummeling audiences with their unique sound which features a blend of traditional Estonia instrumentation and modern day heavy metal. The group just released a brand new album titled “Karjajuht” via Spinefarm Records and Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Lauri about the album and the group’s beginnings.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us a little bit about the bands formation?
Lauri Ounapuu: Markus our singer started this band in 1990. I joined the band after we starting jamming in my apartment one day. I play a number of traditional Estonian instruments and what we were playing sounded really interesting. My neighbors weren’t too happy at the time however as we ended up playing until like four in the morning. We really were having a good time. I did my first show with band in Estonia and afterwards we started working on new material. Back then I played mostly guitar but I am a lousy guitar player and eventually moved to the more traditional instruments. It was also at this time they I mentioned adding more guitar parts to what we had already in order to make things more metal sounding. Our style wasn’t anything we specifically set out to create. Things just sort of evolved and people started to really enjoy what we were doing.

AL: Would you say your background as a musician is more in traditional music than say heavy metal?
LO: As a child I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s houses. They lived in the tradition style of Estonia. They also listed to traditional Estonian music. When they passed away I was looking for some way to connect so I started learning traditional instrumentation and songs. At the same time my friends were all in to heavy metal so that too played a big part in my life. When your friends are all metal heads you start enjoying it yourself.

AL: Can you tell us about the new album “Karjajuht”?
LO: Every time we start on a new record it seems as though things happen differently than they did on the previous. It might be someone different brings in a melody or lyrics or something along that lines. We take all those ideas and see if those ideas can be played in our style of music. With the new record we did a lot of improvising and arranging while we were in the studio. We started making this album quite quickly as we no sooner finished the demos and it was time to start recording. Usually we don’t make a lot of changes once we are in the studio however this album worked a little differently. Again things went really fast and of course as a musician there is always something you may want to change or try to do better but it just wasn’t possible for us to do that this time around. This was ok though as everything turned out pretty good.

AL: Over the past couple of years we have seen a rise in bands that also incorporate traditional instrumentation and styles. Do you think this is something that we will continue to see more of as more and more people are exposed to the various groups?
LO: There are a lot of bands out there labeling themselves as folk-metal and playing music with traditional elements. The big thing to point out is that they are all very different. Though there are a lot of bands in our genre I don’t think there is really one like MetsatÖll. We are the only band in the world playing Estonian bagpipes. (Laughs)

AL: What are the bands tour plans in support of the release?
LO: We have been doing some gigs around Estonia and we also did a small tour Finland as well. We have been talking about coming to the States in the fall but we are still trying to coordinate all of that.

Photo credit: Fitz Carlile

Matthew Llewellyn has various on films like “Dead Souls” for the Chiller Network as well as additional music for “John Dies At The End” and even the video game “Far Cry 3”. His latest film, “Deep In The Darkness” is premiering on Chiller Network on May 23rd. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Matthew about scoring film and also working with composer Brian Tyler.

Mike Gencarelli: You mentored with Brian Tyler, who is an amazing composer, how did that come about?
Matthew Llewellyn: A good friend of mine Bob Lydecker, who I attended graduate school with at the University of Southern California referred me. He was Brian’s assistant at the time and they needed some extra help in the studio so he gave me a call. After getting my feet wet with projects like “Final Destination 5” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” I continued working there for a few years. It wasn’t always easy but I definitely had a blast.

MG: Tell us about how you ended up composing the film “Deep In The Darkness” for Chiller Network?
ML: I’ve worked with director Colin Theys and Synthetic Cinema International for a handful of years now scoring Colin’s previous films for Chiller, “Dead Souls” and “Remains”.

MG: When you score a horror film, tell us about your approach to finding the sound?
ML: Whenever I sit down to write a score I always focus on the thematic material first. After Colin and I spotted “Deep In The Darkness” we talked at lengths about what characters and/or places will have themes. We eventually decided upon the following themes:

Michael’s Theme – “Back into the Light”, “Ashborough Assimilation”
Michael’s Contemplative Theme (Secondary) – “A Good Fit”
Ashborough Theme – “Welcome to Ashborough”
Lady Zellis’ Theme – “Don’t Trust Lady Zellis”
Isolates’ Motif – “Infiltrating the House”

Most are very melodic aside from the Isolates’ motif, which is a creepy pulsating string cluster that returns whenever the Isolates are present. After all of the themes were approved I went through the film and mapped out how they would evolve with the story. When the musical framework was in place I dove into writing individual cues.

MG: What would you say was your biggest challenge on this project?
ML: I would say the shear amount of work. I composed and orchestrated every single note of the score so the sound you’re hearing is 100% me.

MG: Now for a relatively hard one…favorite score of all time and favorite score last/this year?
ML: Tough question indeed! I think my favorite score of all time is John Williams’ “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” with his score for “Hook” a close second. E.T. is one of those incredible filmmaking moments where the perfect score was written for the perfect movie and I’m confident that it will go down in history as one of the greatest film scores ever written. It has become iconic and a staple for the term “movie magic”. Whenever I hear the “Bike Chase” ostinato start in the last reel of the film I just smile because I know something amazing is about to happen. I was fortunate to see John Williams conduct the last reel of E.T. to picture at the Hollywood Bowl a couple years ago; it was definitely something I will never forget.

I just saw the new “Godzilla” film the other night and I have to say Alexandre Desplat’s score is absolutely incredible. That definitely takes the cake for my favorite score of the last year. It’s not overly thematic but it is full of brilliant writing and orchestration. I loved his work on “Grand Budapest Hotel” as well.

MG: What else do you have on the cards upcoming?
ML: I’m currently working for Brian Tyler on “The Expendables 3”. I have a few other things in the pipeline at the moment but they are hush-hush.

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Sebastian Bach is probably best known as the lead singer of the band Skid Row a band that were catapulted to success during the age of videos on MTV with such classic songs/videos as “18 and Life”, “I Remember You” and “Monkey Business”. Bach left the group in 1996 and went on to appear on a number of television shows and enjoyed several successful stints on Broadway in plays like “Jekyll & Hyde”. Along with his other ventures Bach has continued to record and release solo albums with the latest being titled “Give’ Em Hell”. Media Mikes spoke with Sebastian recently about the album and if he plans to someday return to Broadway.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little info on the new album?
Sebastian Bach: I started working on the album about a year ago. I had quite a few of my friends help out and be a part of as well. I have Duff Mckagan on there along with John 5 and Steve Stephens. The album I think came out really cool. I also did videos for the songs “Temptation”, “All My Friends Are Dead” and “Taking Back Tomorrow” which I think all turned out great.

AL: Is the material on this album older material you have been holding on to or is it all brand new and how did you go about choosing the guests who appear?
SB: This is all brand new stuff that I put together. When it came to picking out musicians I just went and asked my friends if they would be interested in playing. John 5 actually did a song on “Kicking and Screaming” which was my previous solo release. He was an obvious choice to ask again.

AL:  What are your tour plans for the release and who will you be bringing out with you as part of your band?
SB: This time around I’m going to have Jeff George and Johnny Chromatic on guitars, Bobby Jarzombek on drums and Jason Christopher on bass. We are always adding more shows so people can check out www.sebastianbach.com for a full list of those.

AL: Can you explain a little more about your recent statement regarding Facebook likes and how they relate to album sales?
SB: When you are doing interviews it can be similar to walking in a mine field. You never know what people are going to respond to or make a big deal out of. I was never talking about my album. I was talking about how the number of “Likes” you have on your Facebook is really a meaningless number. I’m not really sure what Facebook totally is as it’s not very meaningful to my career. (Laughs) I never complained about fans not buying my record but I was more wondering why they were on my page.

AL: What is it that keeps you writing and recording new music when a lot of bands from when you first broke on the scene have been content playing their back catalogs and not recording anymore?
SB: I am a big fan of music. Music is what I like so that is what I want to keep doing. It’s that simple.

AL: Do you think we will see you returning to musicals and television anytime soon?
SB: I have a new television shows premiering on ABC called “Sing Your Face Off”. That will debut on May 31^st 9pm. As for Broadway that is definitely something I want to do more of. I have actually been talking to a number of people lately about getting back in to some productions but nothing has been totally locked in yet.

AL: When you first started appearing on Broadway did you notice a big difference in how you performed as compared to when you are on stage with as band?
SB: It quite a bit different. For one thing you don’t have the band up there with you which makes the stage quite a bit different. Each production is very different so you have to be very prepared for each performance.

Robby Takac is the bassist and a founding member of the rock band the Goo Goo Dolls. In June of 2013 the group released their tenth studio album titled “Magnetic” to rave reviews. The group is currently out on the road performing acoustically and Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Robby about the special run of shows and this summer’s upcoming tour with “American Idol” alum Chris Daughtry.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the current acoustic tour you guys are out on?
Robby Takac: That was something John has been talking about doing for awhile now. Occasionally we get asked to do one off acoustic shows and they end up being a lot of fun and something we wanted to do more of. We just finished a Canadian tour run and have a little bit of time before our next tour starts to go out and do this acoustic run. It’s a great opportunity for us to go back out and do some shows that are a little different. There’s times during these shows where we have 11 people up there performing.

AL: With the acoustic element aside what do you find to be the biggest difference between these shows and the band’s traditional shows?
RT: When we are doing an electric show there are a lot more bells and whistles. We bust out all the stops when we are performing electrically. With the acoustic shows we are playing in much more intimate venues. I think the largest room we have booked on this tour is maybe 400 seats.  There is a different form of communication happening between the band and the listeners in this smaller setting. The shows are going great and I have a feeling that we will be more of them in the future.

AL: How does song selection play out from night to night?
RT: After putting out a number of acoustic songs we have a good catalog to choose from. We also do a bunch of our hit songs that we have reworked. A lot of the songs have been orchestrated so doing those on our own without that backing has been a little different. We thought about having things laid out ahead of time but it ended up working better when we just go off the cuff. We go out tell some stories and play some songs and it’s just a great time.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands recent video for the song “Come to Me”?
RT: I think when you do a video you are looking for something that accompanies the song. We tend to do videos that go along with the songs as the song is the most important thing. We shot the newest video up in the hills outside of Los Angeles and we feel it goes great with the song.

AL: What are the plans for the band after the acoustic tour run?
RT: We have a summer tour coming up with Daughtry that is going to be amazing. I think he has done a really great thing being able to change from what he did on “American Idol” and transforming it to what he is doing now. He had the ears and eyes of American during the time he was on that show and he has managed to keep them. We are going to have a great time this summer with Daughtry and Plain White T’s who will also be part of the tour.

AL: Can you tell us a little bit about the record label you have been working on?
RT: Good Charamel Records is the name of the label and we put out a lot of 7 inch Japanese punk rock albums.  Bands like Shonen Knife and Pinky Doodle Poodle are on our label. My wife and I actually manage Shonen Knife who has a great new album coming out soon.

Mathieu Nevitt is the lead vocalist for the MidWest based rock group DoryDrive. The group has just released their debut full length album titled “Here’s to You” via First Launch Records and the single of the same name is currently working its way up the rock charts across the country. Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Mathieu about the group’s formation and the recording process for the new album.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the formation of the band?
Mathieu Nevitt: The band was started out of me joining a preexisting band that the rest of the guys had performing with for quite some time. My previous band Echovalve was touring with them and we were both looking for something different. I wasn’t interested in joining something that had history already nor was I looking to do heavy music. We ended up coming together to start DoryDrive which is a departure from the guy’s previous material but I think we are all happy with what we are doing now.  From there we started recording together as a band in Nashville, TN. After a couple recording session there we though it would be cool to name the band after the street that the studio was on.

AL: What can you tell us about the group’s new album?
MN: The album is titled “Here’s to You” and working on the album was a very enjoyable process for us. We got to work with two different producers which was really cool. We were able to grow with our music and as a band I think that is what really gave us a chance to strength our bond. We like to have a good time when were in the studio and the writing process was a lot of fun.

AL: Was it difficult in any way working with two different producers?
MN: They each had their own philosophy. The guy we worked with in Nashville was much more militant about the guitar sounds. When we started working with the other producer who helped finish the record things felt much more inviting which I feel was beneficial. Both instances were beneficial for us but we really opened up more towards the end of the process.

AL: Can you tell us a little bit about the two music videos which have been released thus far?

MN: That’s a love/hate relationship for me. Shooting these can be very hectic and you never feel like you have enough time to do everything. There is always a question mark surrounding things. You just have to not second guess yourself and do whatever it is that needs to be done. The newest video is for our single “Here’s to You”. I was really happy with how it turned out and I think we are growing in front of the camera each time we work on a new video.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands current tour?
MN: This tour is our headlining tour. We will be following the radio markets that have picked up our single recently. We will be utilizing that radio play and our promotions company to really hit as many places as possible. We are also actively pursuing some other options as well for when this run of shows end. We are hoping to jump on a really great tour this summer.

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Phil Bozeman is the lead singer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. On April 29^th, they will release their 5^th full length studio album titled “Our Endless War”. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Phil recently about the creation of the new album which is probably the most diverse record we have heard from the band yet and also about the group’s upcoming headlining tour with Devil Driver.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the new album?
Phil Bozeman: We have grown as musicians and are chemistry as a band has certainly gotten better. We were very focused on writing the heaviest and best music we could. We are a heavy metal band but we wanted to incorporate as many of our own influences as we could to help make a diverse record.

AL: Did you find it hard to explore those influences and still stick to the sound and style the band is known for?
PB: It was a bit difficult at times to try something different while still keeping the elements that appeal to our fans the same. I think we are able to get away with everything we did as we paid close attention to make sure that things were still fitting our style.

AL: In a recent press release you stated that the band felt held back when working on the previous albums. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what creative process you took this time around?
PB: We have always worked the same way from record to record. We generally start out by just sitting down and discussing everyone’s different ideas. We all want to take chances and do different things however we don’t want to look bad while doing those things. I think that’s where the bands chemistry really shows as we all work together to put out a great product and it is something we are all happy with. As far as being held back goes in the past there had always been time constraints which limited us a bit. We never had disagreements or anything like that but we always seemed to be under a deadline.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour?
PB: We just finished up a short ten day run as part of the New England Metal Fest. We have a couple shows in Mexico scheduled before we start our headlining tour with Devil Driver. That will take us through the summer.

AL: When you guys are putting together a headlining tour how do you go about choosing which bands will be going out with you?
PB: We always start out by just looking at the bands we like and who we feel would be good to bring out. On a tour like the ones that’s coming up bands submit offers to be considered for a spot and we either accept them or pass.

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