The Real John Kay

Before the holidays I got to talk to the amazingly talented John Kay. I first heard of him through the Koffin Kats. Then I got to listen to his solo work. After listening to his work I knew I wanted to interview for Munster Music, So with much excitement here is the interview with John Kay!

Lacey-How would you describe your music to fans?

John-I don't describe it for anyone.  If someone is interested in my music, they give me their email address and I give them my music for free.  They can listen to it and decide on their own what it is to them.  I try to steer clear of staying within any particular style.

Lacey-How much creative control do you have on your own music?

John-All of it.  Plus, I correspond with my fan club regularly, and they give me critical feedback which helps shape my work.

Lacey-What has been the biggest challenge so far?

John-Limiting beliefs.

Lacey-Your own favorite type of music? and how does it differ from what you play?

John-To me, music is like wine: if you like it, it's good.  I listen to a variety of everything, and I'm currently rotating Tom Petty, Kendrick Lamar, Gaz Coombes, Queens Of The Stone Age, David Bowie, and Beethoven, among others.

Lacey-Is there a tour in the works?

John-Absolutely.

Lacey-Most bizarre thing thrown at you while on stage?

John-Hate.

Lacey-What all instruments do you play?

John-Drums, bass, guitar, piano/keyboard, percussion, some flute, and vocals.

Lacey-For new comers out there, where can they find you music? (insert links)

John-If you're interested in hearing my music, send me your email address and I'll give you ten songs from my upcoming album for free.

Twitter: @therealjohnkay

InstaGram: @therealjohnkay

Facebook: /therealjohnkay

Blog: http://therealjohnkay.wordpress.com

Lacey-These next few questions are random fire , something light and fun for fans to get to know you.

Lacey-Top 3 songs on your personal playlist?

John-"20/20" - Gaz Coombes

"Eroica (Symphony No. 3)" - Beethoven

"Black Star" - David Bowie

Lacey-Ghost or Goblin?

John-Gandalf.

Lacey-Socks or Sandals?

John-Brand new socks.

Lacey-Best thing before the internet?

John-Talented people.

Lacey-Checkers or Chess?

John-Checkmate.

This concluded our interview. A big thank to John Kay. Keep us posted on tour dates!! As always Munsters check out this artist on the following sites Twitter, InstaGram, Facebook, and Wordpress.

FALL/WINTER 2015 !!!!!

The last few months there have been a lot of changes. I tired to continue right after these changes and realized I needed more time. That being said after taking more time and finding my balance I am Excited to get back into shows and bring more to my blog! We will be at Desert Frostover on December 4th and 5th!! I am exited to share the experience on my blog! In mid November I have two interviews I will be posting. I am also adding some finishing touches on things to come for Munster. In January I will be introducing some new features. In the mean time please continue to send promos to us. You can send them to munstermusicest2015@gmail.com or through direct message on facebook or twitter under munsternusic.  Thank you and I look forward to seeing and hearing from everyone!! Below is the promo for Desert Frostover!

~ Lacey

On the rise...Hitokiri!!

This week we had two not one but TWO interviews!!! I found this band via twitter. Right away I knew they were one band to watch for. Due to my conflicting schedules I haven't been able to see them live....yet...I hope that will change in October! I could go on typing about this band but I think it would be more enjoyable to check them for yourself. Here is my recent interview with the band Hitokiri! Enjoy Munsters! 

Lacey-Origin of band name?

Hitokiri: We were looking for a name after having a taken name for quite a while. We wanted something that sounded unique from other bands that were doing around what we were doing. Our vocalist, Cody, proposed the name Battousai, but we didn't want to be named after an anime. The person that Battousai was created after was a hitokiri. We all liked the ring of it and it had an interesting history. A hitokiri is a samurai elite and considered undefeatable by normal people. The word, roughly, translates to human cutter.

Lacey-Which famous bands do you admire and why?

Michael (Guitar): Stick to Your Guns, The Story So Far, Neck Deep, Taking BackSunday, Brand New, Buddy Holly, Modern Baseball, Roy Hamilton, Defeater, Northlane, Stray from the Path, The Ghost Inside, Gideon, Sworn In... All these bands or artists have impacted my life and inspired me at one point. I love a lot of different music.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): Deftones, The Story So Far, Green Day. I don't listen to a lot of "famous" bands. Green Day got me into music, Deftones kept me in music when I tried giving up. Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan, and an old local band This, My Vendetta are all in my top ten and definitely worth mentioning though.

Drew (Bass): The Amity Affliction, Stick to Your Guns, Turnover, The Story So Far, and Modern Baseball. The main reason I admire these bands would have to be the stage presence they bring every time they perform and their meaningful lyrics.

Cristian (Drums): Architects, August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Sylar, Reflections, and Underoath. 

Lacey-Describe your sound to new listeners?

Hitokiri: A blend of hardcore and metalcore. We've been described as heavy hardcore. We can't call ourselves hardcore, so we just call ourselves "Heavy"; hence "Glendale Heavy."

Lacey-Most memorable show so far?

Cody (Vocals): Knocked Loose with Orthodox Straight Edge, Another Mistake, and all the locals on that bill (8/29). Memories were made.

Michael (Guitar): Knocked Loose (8/29) was my favorite show because we played with our good friends in Disservice and Lifelink. The locals were stacked for that show. Loved the response we got.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): We played a show with Knocked Loose (8/28). It was so much fun to play with the majority of my favourite local bands. Knocked Loose is easily one of the best bands around.

Drew (Bass): Knocked Loose (8/29) was easily one of the best shows I've ever played. The energy in the room was unimaginable.

Cristian (Drums): Silent Planet at 51West back in June (6/15).

Lacey-Where do you see the band in five years?

Hitokiri: Touring, with a few more releases under our belt, a solid fan base, current line-up. Still being the same best of friends we are now. We will be more than happy regardless of if we are big or not. We're best friends.

Lacey-What inspires you guys during the writing process?

Cody (Vocals): I try and be true to myself, and write about things that trouble me (as cliche as that sounds).

Michael (Guitar): I love writing when there are twinkles lighting the room because it makes me feel at peace with myself. I also love writing when I'm with Jake -- we bounce off of each other very cohesively. When I write, its my chance to share with the world what I'm feeling like, through the music.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): Something I hear in my head that I try to recreate. Most of the time, I mess around on my guitar until I find something I'm in love with. I want to create music that creates a reaction, so that's always on my mind. Mikey and I's writing usually is complimenting in that we'll usually write chunks to songs at different times so long as it fits the tone or direction of the song. 

Cristian (Drums): To be unique and not have every song sound the same with a different breakdown pattern.

Lacey-This next set is my random fire questions...Something fun and light

Lacey-Pizza or Pasta?

Hitokiri: Pizza

Lacey-Ghost or Goblin?

Cody (Vocals): Ghost.

Michael (Guitar): Goblin.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): Ghost.

Drew (Bass): Ghost.

Cristian (Drums): Ghost.

Lacey-Favorite album and why?

Cody (Vocals): Slipknot - Self-Titled. My stepdad got it for me when I was around 11 years old and it's more or less the reason I started to pursue music.

Michael (Guitar): Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You. This album got me into music and got me into wanting to start a band.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): I can never narrow it down. Adrenaline, Around the Fur, and Deftones by Deftones; Knocked Loose - Pop Culture; and This, My Vendetta -Lineage.

Drew (Bass): Basement - Colourmeinkindness. This album really inspired me to incorporate certain riffs and overall grunginess to my writing style.

Cristian (Drums): Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety. Its almost 12 years old and it still holds up as a solid album.

Lacey-Any rituals before a show?

Cody (Vocals): I try to drink some coffee before I get on stage.

Michael (Guitar): I always wash my hands before I play, drink a full water bottle, and get super agitated (so I can release it on stage)!

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): I have Crohn's, so I try to poop.

Drew (Bass): None.

Cristian (Drums): None.

Lacey-Best thing since sliced bread?

Cody (Vocals): Extra strength garlic sparkling power bait.

Michael (Guitar): Batman.

Jake (Guitar / Vocals): Dogs.

Drew (Bass): The selfie stick.

Cristian (Drums): Vegan sliced bread.

Lacey-Last but not least anything you guys would like to add in closing?

Hitokiri: Thank you for interviewing us! We love everyone who has given Hitokiri a chance and supported us. We've put a lot of effort into this. Huge thank you to Dmitri at Mantooth -- the best lead feature guest vocalist of all time.

HITOKIRI  //  Glendale, Arizona

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp | Big Cartel


Photo Cred. Nick Imholte, and Jake Tingley Album Artwork done by Jake Tingley

Right to the core... Murkocet!!!

Hey there Munsters!! I got a chance to speak with Richie Jano lead singer from the Band Murkocet. I first saw them at Joes's Grotto, They have a incredible stage presence and sound that rocks you to the core. Following the interview I have posted pics from one of there shows! To catch them live, October 3rd at Pub Rocks in Scottsdale AZ.

Lacey-What inspired you to form the band?

Richie - Our band was formed as a result of several tryouts for our guitarist's other band.  Mike our drummer and Richie our vocalist had both tried out for drums.  Mike's heavy metal antics were noticed immediately, and the next day at Richie's audition he had shown some skill over the microphone; enough to convince our guitarist John that we should all meet and form a new heavy metal project.  As we continued to jam and practice we eventually realized we had a solid chemistry and decided to continue writing our own material.

Lacey-Origin of the band name?

Richie-The origin of the band name is actually a funny story, considering that it is Richie's Xbox Live gamertag. It was initially a joke, however it caught the ears of the other band members and we ended up running with it. The name is a play on words between the word Murk and Percocet, basically meaning that Murkocet is a substance that makes people crazy; which in essence would be our music. This ended up working out perfectly for us as a band name.

Lacey-What do you think sets you apart from other bands in the same genre?

Richie-We are extremely interactive with our crowds, and within the genre we feel that that is extremely important. We practice diligently 4-5 times a week to maintain our sound and work on continually providing something much heavier and exciting each time we write something new. We also try to make our shows as fun for the crowd as possible, as opposed to simply reciting our songs one by one on stage.

Lacey-In the writing process is it a single person or a group effort?

Richie-The writing process is a group effort, each song may have more of someone else's touch on it, however it takes all four of us to put it together to make it sound the way it is supposed to. We allow for the creativity of each of our members to show through our music to allow for maximum creative output.

Lacey-How does the music affect the lyrics or vise versa?

Richie-The music is extremely cohesive, we believe that in order to receive the message that lyrics are trying to communicate, the music must resemble that at all times, thus allowing for the music to truly mean something, and the words to be listened to, rather than just heard.

Lacey-What was the first tune you learned?

Richie-Hatebreed - Smash Your Enemies

Lacey-Which famous musicians do you admire and why?

Richie-There are so many that we admire, typically bands like Lamb of God, Slipknot, Bleeding Through, and many others.

Lacey-This next set is my random fire...Something light and goofy

Lacey-Board games or Card games?

Richie-Card games

Lacey-Bubbles or Bubbles Gum?

Richie-Gum

Lacey-One song that is your guilty pleasure?

Richie-Owl City - Good Time ahahahahahaha

Lacey-What do you want to be reincarnated as and why?

Richie-A German Shepherd, it would just be dope.

Lacey-First thing you grab when you are off tour?

Richie-Hopefully we'll find out soon enough.

Lacey-Album you are really digging at the current moment?

Richie-Bleeding Through - Portrait of the Goddess

Lacey-Anything you would like to add in closing?

Richie-If you feel like you haven't seen any good metal shows lately, or are worried about what you should be listening to because everything else seems old...we highly recommend you give us just one chance to knock you on your ass with our show. We believe that we can give Arizona metal heads something to look forward to and something to be proud of as far as this scene goes. WE ARE THAT BAND that you have been waiting for, and we will not disappoint you. Feel free to hit us up at www.facebook.com/murkocetmetal and look forward to our EP coming out very soon, and a bunch of other nonsense that we have lined up for you guys :)

Triguna Band Interview!!!!!!

I recently got to talk to Claude Bird lead singer for the band Triguna. From Chicago and formed in 2012. This metal band is definitely one to watch. Without further adieu here is my sit down with Claude. Enjoy!!

Lacey-Writing the lyrics, Is it a single person or a collaborative effort?

Bird-The writing itself is a single person, but we bounce off ideas from one another to try and come up with what would best fit with the piece of music we’re working with. I do the writing itself and choose the end product but everyone throws their own suggestions in freely

Lacey-What would you like yours fans to gain after listing to your album, “Embryonic Forms”?

   Bird-If people could have a great time jamming out to our music, that would be enough for us. We weren’t exactly looking to change any lives with this, we just wanted to make something that sounded good and could translate all of the work we put into it.

Lacey-For your first times listeners, what track would you recommend?

Bird-False Faith is a good track to start with in my opinion. I think it captures what we were about in the beginning of writing the whole things, and then to peer into what we want to accomplish in the future I would definitely recommend Abandonment.

Lacey-Best venue you guys have played so far? Which venue would be your ideal spot?

Bird-I have to say the best venue we played at was Haegersbend Roadhouse. Its just a little bar type place in the middle of a neighborhood but the vibe it gives off and how homely it is makes it feel like so much more. As for ideal spot, we’re still trying to get our feet wet and discover that. We hope one day to be performing in larger venues with bigger and more elaborate stages and setups so as for that, I think its something we have yet to discover

Lacey-What do you as a band hope to have accomplished in the next five years?

Bird-In the next five years ideally we would love to be setup with a label of sorts and be in the middle of some international tour, but we’d be happy with just pumping out a lot of music and albums for the next couple years. As long as we were able to express ourselves in that way I believe we will all be happy with just accomplishing that.

Lacey-To people who dont know you guys yet, what would you label your sound and why?

Bird-I would call us thrash metal. It just has that get up and go feel for the most part. Calling it death wouldn’t be necessarily wrong either because that brutality is there all the same.

This next set is of questions are are my random fire questions

Lacey-Favorite color socks?

Bird-Black without a doubt. Ankle or regular, they don’t pick up stains or anything so they’re always good to go.

Lacey-They say music can tell a lot about a person, So what are your top three songs on your current playlist?

Bird-I’ve been jamming Rage by Atilla quite frequently in the car, then Colony by In Flames is always a go to for jamming, and the last song that finds its way into my speakers is Edgecrusher by Fear Factory, it’s just a great pump up song.

Lacey- Favorite food?

Bird-Definitely ice cream. Its good at any time of the day, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. There has never been a moment in my life where I have not wanted ice cream.

Lacey- Last but not least...Romance or cars?

Bird-Romance, I’m quite the sucker for chivalry and adorable pet names and stuff like that. I’m that kind of guy that will write the poems and hold the car door open. The whole idea of romance is just way too exciting.

This concluded my interview. If you haven't heard them go check them out on Facebook, Twitter, reverberation and their website Trigunaband.com. Check out their album out now Embryonic Forms!! Thank you for the interview and look forward to hearing more from you guys!!

LORD interview!!!!!!!

I recently got to talk to Andy Dowling bass player for the band LORD. Before we get into the interview I would like to give you a little background on this band. LORD is a metal band out of Australia and formed in 2006. LORD has released two EP's and four full length albums. Prior to their name LORD, They went by the name Dungeon. Dungeon Had released nine albums and and international dvd. At the time LORD was a side project but since their was a shift in the band's line up. They dropped the Dungeon name and went with LORD. The Melodic Metal band has toured with Megadeath, Queensryche, Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, and Nevermore just to name a few. Now lets jump into the interview kiddies!

Lacey- Collectively best venue you guys have done? and any venue you would want to revisit?
Andy- Ah this is a hard one as there have been so many over the years. Playing packed rooms in Japan has been great and it’s amazing the high standard that they have with their live venues there. Everything is well organised, plenty of venue crew, great gear and well looked after. Many awesome Australian venues that we've played over the years as well. It's really hard to chose and most of them we would and do return on multiple occasions! Part of the touring gig I guess. Sometimes for better or worse!

Lacey- Who taught you how to play? and what was your first guitar?
Andy- I play bass personally and it was a mixture of self taught and some basic lessons from my father and at school. I did start out with guitar but then moved onto bass because I wanted to play in a band, and at the time everyone wanted to be a guitarist but no one wanted to play bass. Bass was my ticket to the stage!

Lacey-First riff that you learned?
Andy- One of the first riffs would have been Blackbird by The Beatles on acoustic guitar.

Lacey-I read in the bio that you're Australia's best kept secret. Why is that?
Andy-You don't agree? :-) Well, we are still virtually unknown in the mainstream world and in other markets such as the US and in parts of Europe. Honestly, the listener can judge for themselves and whilst we take what we do very seriously, we also are very tongue-in-cheek!

Lacey-What's next for you guys?
Andy- We have a number of Australian shows locked in for the remainder of 2015 including a special show with Germany's Helloween in Sydney which should be a lot of fun. Helloween are a huge influence on our music and we've even covered a couple of their songs (including 'Someone's Crying' that's on our latest EP!).

Lacey-Current tour dates? Any US dates in the future?
Andy- Just Australian dates for the remainder of the year that can be found on our website as they are announced. We'd love to get over to the US, however at the moment we are just trying to connect with as many people over there as possible first. The more people who hear our music and enjoy what we do, the better the chances of getting over there in the near future! Regardless, the US is definitely on our radar!

Lacey-To the new listeners what album and track would you recommend and why?
Andy- I think that any of our video clips on our YouTube channel are a great start. Not only are they highlights from our albums, but also give a great visual representation of what we are all about. My personal recommendation would be Final Seconds, Betrayal Blind, Forever and New Horizons.

These next few questions are goofy random fire questions, a little something I like to do with band members at  the end of an interview

Lacey- Sneakers or flip flops?
Andy- We call flip flops, thongs! It really depends on the situation and location however overall I would pick sneakers over thongs! :-)

Lacey- The first thing you grab once you're off tour?
Andy- The taps of my shower and then my pillow.
Lacey-Romance or cars?
Andy- Romance. Nothing better.
Lacey- Board games or card games?
Andy- Depends on the specific game, but probably board games!
Lacey- They say music tells a lot about a person so what are your top three songs on your current play list?
Andy- Work of Art - Time to Let Go, Evergrey - Black Undertow, and Icehouse - Don't Believe  Anymore

Lacey- In closing is there anything you would like to say ?

Andy- A big Cheers to everyone who  continues to support the band. The more people we can connect with around the world, the more places we can tour. Please keep spreading the word!

This concluded the interview with Andy. We here at Munster Music are excited to have found Australia's best kept secret and plan to share with the world! If you haven't Heard them, Then get off your rear end and check them out, you won't regret it. You can check them out on facebook twitter itunes google play sound cloud and last but not least there website lord.net.au

A big thank you to Andy Dowling and LORD for the opportunity to interview!