Brandon Herbel
01/06/05, 01:14 AM
Hello guys first off introduce yourselves and tell us what you do in the band.
My name is Chris Gray, I sing. Alan Nacinovic plays guitar, Derek Petrella -Drums, Mike De Eyre plays Bass and keyboards and Kyle Bishop Guitar and Vocals
How did you guys meet each other and then form the band?
We have all known each other for years in one-way or another. I met Alan through his brother who used to play drums with me in New Day Rising, Kyle and I have known each other for close to 13 years from being involved with different bands in the local scene. I knew Mike from a previous band I was in with him and met Derek through Alan. The band started about two and a half years ago. I was pursuing more singer songwriter solo stuff. Kyle and Alan ran in to each other and started talking about what Al was doing. He mentioned that he was playing bass in my project. Kyle had been out of music for a while at this point and felt it was time to return to the one thing he has always loved. However he wanted to try something different. So he asked if I would consider putting my solo stuff on the side and singing in this new project. I knew this was an opportunity to create something powerful with some very serious musicians. The three of us met at a coffee shop in Burlington Ontario and realized we all had the same goals in mind. From there we started to tryout various drummers. Alan and I were in Zyon with Derek and we knew he was the right guy for the job if he was ready to commit to something fulltime and he was. From there Mike heard about this new band through my personal mailing list. Mike came out to one of our rehearsals and just blew us all away. From there we began rehearsing religiously and theBLACKMARIA was born.
The Black Maria's album "Lead Us To Reason" comes out on January 25th. Are you guys excited to see all this work paid off?
Incredibly excited! The promotion Victory has done for us has been amazing and we have tried to pay them back by touring our asses off for the past three months leading up to this release. We have met so many people and cannot wait for them to have the record. I am beyond proud of this album, as is everyone in the band and we are ready for the rest of the world to hear it.
The artwork on the cd cover is very interesting, any significance behind it?
We were fortunate enough to get a world famous artist "Matt Mahurin", to do a piece for us. Our manager heard that we were all big fans of his work, since he has directed such artist as U2 and Metallica and has done cover art for Tom Waits as well. Our manager then got us in touch with Matt. We sent him a rough edit of the record and he seemed to be really in to it. He then agreed to draw up some pieces and once we had a title for the record it all came together. We look at the artwork as battle of good and evil. Where the front cover is the battle and the back being the conclusion where good defeats evil.
On that note, what is the meaning behind the name The Black Maria?
It used to be the name of a police patrol wagon. We thought the dark imagery of what it was gave the name a certain mystic and an intense visual much like our music. From there we have heard many other interpretations of the name but that was the original idea behind it.
I see that you guys have shared the stage with quite a collection of bands, who was your favorite to play with?
We have loved every band we have shared a stage with or gone on tour with from The Sleeping, Action Action, Everytime I Die, Queens of the Stone Age and Bayside. I would say the most fun I have personally had on a tour, not just because the band was so cool but the shows were so incredible, was the recent Atreyu tour in the Uk. We shared a bus with them, which could have turned incredibly awkward but we just became like brothers. The first night we just hit it right off. It's amazing to see a band that is doing so well still be so incredibly down to earth and grounded. I can't say enough about how great those guys were and the shows were so awesome. We opened every night on a metal tour with no record and the UK audience just wanted to have a good time and made us feel at home by yelling as loud as they could after every song or starting a pit. It was the kind of tour that reminded me why I love my job.
Guitarist, Kyle invited the owner of Victory records to a show, were you guys expecting to get signed from that?
I honestly didn't know what to expect. We knew after doing so many showcases for majors that we wanted to be a part of something more family orientated and root based. Tony has been like a brother to us from the beginning. Soon as we stepped off the stage that night, he immediately came back stage where he was brainstorming battle plans with us. He was as intense and as focused as we were. From that moment, we knew where we belonged and who we wanted to have our back. We have always surrounded ourselves with business people who are tough, honest and believe in what we are doing and with Victory they do.
The way you describe your music "To me, a song is never finished, it always takes a new direction every time it is performed". Has the band always felt that way about the music?
That sounds like a Kyle quote to me LOL! I would have to agree, depending on the crowd and the mood I am in while the performance is happening, it definitely can change every night. The songs and the lyrics could take different personalities and pull different things out of me depending on my mood and what is going on with me on a personal level. This is why I have always loved music that is from somewhere real.
What are some of your favorite albums to listen to while being on the road?
We all have different ones but personally...I love Every time I die "Hot Damn" it's just a fucking brilliant record, one of my all time favorites right now, the lyrics are incredible the music, no matter how many times I have heard it make me want to bang my head through my steering wheel. It also doesn't hurt that I consider them friends..."Threshold" huh... who knew???
John Frusciante - "The will to Death" Just a timeless sounding record.
Muse anything by them, they make you want to quit music they are so good.
The new Dillenger record "Miss Machine" probably the best record of last year. I didn't think it would be possible for anyone to take the place of "Mike Patton" my childhood hero, but they blew my expectations away with this master piece and a new vocalist who's vocal pipes are almost as big as his 24 inch python arms.
My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge", this is one my whole band can agree on. I love it, the vocals are amazing and there is so much melody and of course who could forget... Morrissey. I saw him live recently and there is a reason why this man is the king. There are many more but those are just a few that I love.
Are there any big tour plans coming up in the next few months?
Just that you can bet we will be visiting your town very soon, where ever you are. We have tons of shows and tours in the works so keep checking out our website for updates www.theblackmaria.com (http://www.theblackmaria.com)
Any new bands we should be listening to?
The Smear Campaign, The Frame Up, A Dozen Dead Roses, The Sleeping, A Bullet for My Valentine, The Video Dead, Farewell to Freeway just to name a few...
What are your favorite movies?
Buffalo 66, Vince Gallo is the man. Garden State, hilarious and moving. Vanilla Sky, trust me, watch it one more time ...you'll get it. Almost Famous (the directors cut) It's exactly what it's like being on a big tour.
I want to thank you for taking time out of you busy schedule and letting me interview you, is there anything else you would like to say to the readers at Absolutepunk.net?
Please go out and buy the album on January 25th. Go www.myspace.com/theblackmaria (http://www.myspace.com/theblackmaria) and sign up on our friends list and send us a message. Thank you all for you support we appreciate it more then you could know.
My name is Chris Gray, I sing. Alan Nacinovic plays guitar, Derek Petrella -Drums, Mike De Eyre plays Bass and keyboards and Kyle Bishop Guitar and Vocals
How did you guys meet each other and then form the band?
We have all known each other for years in one-way or another. I met Alan through his brother who used to play drums with me in New Day Rising, Kyle and I have known each other for close to 13 years from being involved with different bands in the local scene. I knew Mike from a previous band I was in with him and met Derek through Alan. The band started about two and a half years ago. I was pursuing more singer songwriter solo stuff. Kyle and Alan ran in to each other and started talking about what Al was doing. He mentioned that he was playing bass in my project. Kyle had been out of music for a while at this point and felt it was time to return to the one thing he has always loved. However he wanted to try something different. So he asked if I would consider putting my solo stuff on the side and singing in this new project. I knew this was an opportunity to create something powerful with some very serious musicians. The three of us met at a coffee shop in Burlington Ontario and realized we all had the same goals in mind. From there we started to tryout various drummers. Alan and I were in Zyon with Derek and we knew he was the right guy for the job if he was ready to commit to something fulltime and he was. From there Mike heard about this new band through my personal mailing list. Mike came out to one of our rehearsals and just blew us all away. From there we began rehearsing religiously and theBLACKMARIA was born.
The Black Maria's album "Lead Us To Reason" comes out on January 25th. Are you guys excited to see all this work paid off?
Incredibly excited! The promotion Victory has done for us has been amazing and we have tried to pay them back by touring our asses off for the past three months leading up to this release. We have met so many people and cannot wait for them to have the record. I am beyond proud of this album, as is everyone in the band and we are ready for the rest of the world to hear it.
The artwork on the cd cover is very interesting, any significance behind it?
We were fortunate enough to get a world famous artist "Matt Mahurin", to do a piece for us. Our manager heard that we were all big fans of his work, since he has directed such artist as U2 and Metallica and has done cover art for Tom Waits as well. Our manager then got us in touch with Matt. We sent him a rough edit of the record and he seemed to be really in to it. He then agreed to draw up some pieces and once we had a title for the record it all came together. We look at the artwork as battle of good and evil. Where the front cover is the battle and the back being the conclusion where good defeats evil.
On that note, what is the meaning behind the name The Black Maria?
It used to be the name of a police patrol wagon. We thought the dark imagery of what it was gave the name a certain mystic and an intense visual much like our music. From there we have heard many other interpretations of the name but that was the original idea behind it.
I see that you guys have shared the stage with quite a collection of bands, who was your favorite to play with?
We have loved every band we have shared a stage with or gone on tour with from The Sleeping, Action Action, Everytime I Die, Queens of the Stone Age and Bayside. I would say the most fun I have personally had on a tour, not just because the band was so cool but the shows were so incredible, was the recent Atreyu tour in the Uk. We shared a bus with them, which could have turned incredibly awkward but we just became like brothers. The first night we just hit it right off. It's amazing to see a band that is doing so well still be so incredibly down to earth and grounded. I can't say enough about how great those guys were and the shows were so awesome. We opened every night on a metal tour with no record and the UK audience just wanted to have a good time and made us feel at home by yelling as loud as they could after every song or starting a pit. It was the kind of tour that reminded me why I love my job.
Guitarist, Kyle invited the owner of Victory records to a show, were you guys expecting to get signed from that?
I honestly didn't know what to expect. We knew after doing so many showcases for majors that we wanted to be a part of something more family orientated and root based. Tony has been like a brother to us from the beginning. Soon as we stepped off the stage that night, he immediately came back stage where he was brainstorming battle plans with us. He was as intense and as focused as we were. From that moment, we knew where we belonged and who we wanted to have our back. We have always surrounded ourselves with business people who are tough, honest and believe in what we are doing and with Victory they do.
The way you describe your music "To me, a song is never finished, it always takes a new direction every time it is performed". Has the band always felt that way about the music?
That sounds like a Kyle quote to me LOL! I would have to agree, depending on the crowd and the mood I am in while the performance is happening, it definitely can change every night. The songs and the lyrics could take different personalities and pull different things out of me depending on my mood and what is going on with me on a personal level. This is why I have always loved music that is from somewhere real.
What are some of your favorite albums to listen to while being on the road?
We all have different ones but personally...I love Every time I die "Hot Damn" it's just a fucking brilliant record, one of my all time favorites right now, the lyrics are incredible the music, no matter how many times I have heard it make me want to bang my head through my steering wheel. It also doesn't hurt that I consider them friends..."Threshold" huh... who knew???
John Frusciante - "The will to Death" Just a timeless sounding record.
Muse anything by them, they make you want to quit music they are so good.
The new Dillenger record "Miss Machine" probably the best record of last year. I didn't think it would be possible for anyone to take the place of "Mike Patton" my childhood hero, but they blew my expectations away with this master piece and a new vocalist who's vocal pipes are almost as big as his 24 inch python arms.
My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge", this is one my whole band can agree on. I love it, the vocals are amazing and there is so much melody and of course who could forget... Morrissey. I saw him live recently and there is a reason why this man is the king. There are many more but those are just a few that I love.
Are there any big tour plans coming up in the next few months?
Just that you can bet we will be visiting your town very soon, where ever you are. We have tons of shows and tours in the works so keep checking out our website for updates www.theblackmaria.com (http://www.theblackmaria.com)
Any new bands we should be listening to?
The Smear Campaign, The Frame Up, A Dozen Dead Roses, The Sleeping, A Bullet for My Valentine, The Video Dead, Farewell to Freeway just to name a few...
What are your favorite movies?
Buffalo 66, Vince Gallo is the man. Garden State, hilarious and moving. Vanilla Sky, trust me, watch it one more time ...you'll get it. Almost Famous (the directors cut) It's exactly what it's like being on a big tour.
I want to thank you for taking time out of you busy schedule and letting me interview you, is there anything else you would like to say to the readers at Absolutepunk.net?
Please go out and buy the album on January 25th. Go www.myspace.com/theblackmaria (http://www.myspace.com/theblackmaria) and sign up on our friends list and send us a message. Thank you all for you support we appreciate it more then you could know.