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Thursday, August 14, 2003

No Fate - Interview [D1 Music]

Interview with rock/metal group No Fate.

Valdyr: Tell us a little about yourselves.
Brian Evans: I like girls, and playing guitar.
Colin Carroll: My belt is awesome.
Tom Schlacks: I'm so lonely.
Oscar Salinas: We're here to rock you.

Valdyr: What inspired you to get involved with music?
Brian: I fell in love with piano, and that got me caught on other intruments.
Colin: When I was little I used to bang on pots and pans...I still do.
Oscar: Both my mom and dad played guitar, but were pretty bad, and I played the trumpet when I was a little boy.

Valdyr: What are some of your influences?
Oscar: We are really into The Smashing Pumpkins and Metallica.
Brian: Bob Marley, Reel Big Fish, Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few.
Colin: Led Zeppelin and Incubus.
Tom: Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Orgy and Kill Hannah.

Valdyr: If I opened up your CD player right now, what would I find?
Colin: Kill Hannah.
Tom: Escape From Earth. I'm really into local music, and they are up there with Kill Hannah and the late Crash Poet.
Brian: Dispatch.
Oscar: St. Anger.

Valdyr: When can we expect the album?
Tom: We plan on going back into the studio this winter to lay down three more tracks on top of our two song demo for a five-song EP.

Valdyr: Which do you find more fulfilling, playing live or working in the studio?
Brian: Recording in the studio is fun because you get a tangible end result to hold and admire and hope that fans will enjoy listening to.
Tom: Playing live is much more fun because it's all about the now, and playing for the fans.
Oscar: It's fun really working on and perfecting a song, but nothing can compare to the raw energy that you feel while performing live.

Valdyr: What's the most memorable moment you've had in your music career?
Colin: The sound of one man clapping.
Brian: When we were in the studio recording "Schizome" and "Never".

Valdyr: What's your favorite song to play?
Colin: "For You" & "No Return".

Valdyr: What are some of your future goals?
Tom: World domination is definately at the top of our list of goals.

Valdyr: How do you feel about the status of the music industry today?
Tom: It's terrible how one band becomes really big and then their style becomes the trendiest thing out there. Because then the record companies ignore talented bands that deserve to reach national status and they just start signing bands that sound like all of the other 'flash-in-the-pan' bands. And that's what causes many people not to be able to tell the diference between many mainstream artists now. This is also what causes many people today to have the common opinion that "radio sucks."
Brian: I think it's teriblle how talented musicians aren't recognized anymore simpley because they are out of the norm.
Oscar: Yes, everything is sort of taken a turn for the worse and you can tell the music industry is scared by the new mp3 wave and are really holding on to what they know can be commercially successful in the first week with the legion of teenie boppers who are being spoon fed and conditioned to like and dislike certain things by these huge corporations and "merchants of cool."

Valdyr: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you want to work with?
Brain: Kill Hannah.
Colin: Kill Hannah.
Oscar: Billy Corgan.
Tom: Trent Reznor.

Valdyr: What would be your idea of an ideal tour?
Brian: To tour the world. I'd like to travel to every continent.
Tom: We would love to tour the U.S. playing venues that hold a few thousand people and open right before a very poplular band. Because the hardest thing to do is win over an audience that is not there to see and hear you.

Valdyr: If you had to point to one song as being the most influential in your life, which one would you pick, and why?
Brian: "Free Bird", because when you see Lynyrd Skynyrd perform it live, you see the response from the crowd and you realize how much one song can do.

Valdyr: What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
Brian: Hopefully headlining a regional tour.
Colin: Swimming in a pool of mlik.

Valdyr: Where did the name No Fate come from?
Tom: I'll tell you where it DIDN'T come from, and that's Terminator 2. We did not get the name from that movie.
Oscar: You'll have to be lucky and catch us live on one of my 'rant' days to figure that one out.

Valdyr: Where are you guys from?
Colin: Chicago, motherfucker.

Valdyr: How long have you been playing?
Oscar: We've been playing togethor for about 2 years now.

Valdyr: How did the band come together?
Tom: It was fate. (Sarcastically).
Brian: The band kicked out about ten people, there has been around 13 people in the band including the current members. So eventually we found the right guys.

Valdyr: How would you describe your music?
Tom: Better than everyone else's. (Said with a satiric rock star ego).
Brian: Extremely unique.
Oscar: Dreamy when its soft and rockin when its heavy.

Valdyr: Are you guys aiming for a deal with an independent label or are you shooting for a major label?
Tom: Is this an offer? Cause that'd be great.
Oscar: We are looking for an independent label to start off and show the major record labels that we're worth something and we can sell.

Valdyr: Who would you want to tour with?
Brian: Disturbed. I think our music would go well with them.
Tom: That would be cool, especially since they're from Chicago, too. Throw Kill Hannah in the mix and you've got a "Chicago Takes On The Nation Tour."

Valdyr: What have you been listening to lately?
Brian: Dispatch, and Manson.
Colin: Kill Hannah.
Tom: Kill Hannah, Escape From Earth, Reforma, Liftpoint, Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Audioslave... I'll stop now.
Oscar: What Tom said, plus Metallica.

Valdyr: How do you feel about the music scene right now, and do you think there is a place for a band like No Fate?
Brian: I think our local Chicago scene is pretty good. And in Chicago I think there is easily a spot for No Fate and people just need to open up to new ideas.
Tom: No Fate will definately have a spot in the Chicago scene. However, people are afraid of new and different things, which is why breaking into the national scene will be more difficult. Some people have a tendency to only like music that sounds like everything else that is poplular at the time.
Oscar: Chicago's local scene is amazing right now. Especially considering just a few years ago there was no scene in Chicago.

Valdyr: What would you like to see D1 do to help bands?
Brian: Give them connections, or be the connection toward getting them management and local labels.

Valdyr: What do you think about D1's impact on the industry?
Oscar: It's inspiring actually seeing an organization in the music industry that is looking for new and unique talent and trying to get that music heard.

Valdyr: How did you find out about D1?
Tom: I'm a big fan of Orgy and I heard about D1 because it was mentioned in their news that Jay was creating it.

Valdyr: How has your experience been with D1 so far, and what are your expectations from the company?
Tom: Nothing has really happened from working with D1 so far, but we look forward to our relationship being very beneficial for each of us.

Valdyr: How would you describe Jay & Lou?
Tom: We've never talked or worked with them directly, but I imagine they've got to be really great guys that are very passionate about music, because that is why they are doing this.

Valdyr: Thanks for your time, guys!

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Vanity Beach - Interview [D1 Music]

Interview with front man J Karsten of new wave Finnish rockers, Vanity Beach.

Valdyr: Tell us a little about yourself/selves.
J: Vanity Beach was formed back in 1999. We're from Helsinki, Finland. We play heavy music with synths! And.... We have a new CD out called Nights of the New!

Valdyr: What inspired you to get involved with music?
J: GNR, Motley Crue and NIN!

Valdyr: What are some of your influences?
J: We listen to everything from Massive Attack to Confessor...so there ya go...influences.

Valdyr: If I opened up your CD player right now, what would I find?
J: Dead inside the chrysalis - new demos.

Valdyr: Which do you find more fulfilling, playing live or working in the studio? J: Maybe working in the studio. I like it... You know, it can be quiet in there if that's what you want. Gigs tend to be rather chaotic. And there's always a time schedule to follow. Whereas, in the studio...if you don't feel like recording,,,well, do something else!

Valdyr: What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had in your music career?
J: That would be when Dave Mustaine emailed me and told me he had received our demo from his guitarist Marty Friedman, and that he liked it a lot...that just felt totally unreal for an 17 year old boy living in Helsinki, Finland...I mean that guy wrote "Peace sells" for fucks sake!

Valdyr: What’s your favorite song to play?
J: I'll play anything heavy!

Valdyr: What are some of your future goals?
J: Earning a living by playing the music we love would be a dream come true for all of us...unfortunately only few artists get to that stage in their carreers.

Valdyr: What do you think about D1’s impact on the industy?
J: D1's great; I think we've been able to get many new fans through the BOTB activities here on D1!

Valdyr: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you want to work with?
J: Casey Chaos...or Phil Anselmo.

Valdyr: What would be your idea of an ideal tour?
J: A tour with lotsa pretty girls...we could tour with some boyband...Westlife, yeah, I'll go with Westlife!

Valdyr: If you had to point to one song as being the most influential in your life, which one would you pick, and why?
J: BOD - "Graveyard"...old school underground death - from Finland, you probably haven't heard of 'em...but anyways, that song really taught me how to grind that axe!

Valdyr: What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
J: Creating music.

Valdyr: That’s all the questions I had, is there anything else you’d like to say?
J: GO TO www.mp3.com/vanitybeach NOW AND CHECK OUT THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE! =) ..did someone say shameless self promo? That's what it's all about...

Valdyr: Thanks for your time!
J: Thank you Laura for your time! And sorry for being sooo damn slow....
Valdyr: Hehe, it's all good...good luck in the future!