We recently did an interview with Daniel Morrison of Alternative Revolt Magazine. We had a great time with his unique assortment of questions. Check out some the crazyness below.
Read the entire interview here at Alternative Revolt Magazine
Daniel/AR: The band name is a question artists get tired of answering. So, tell me a lie about how the name came to be, then tell me the truth.
John: The name actually comes from an unhealthy obsession with Sarah Palin or as we like to call her Cerepalin. We wanted her to be our mascot. She said no…something to do with her constituents and political career.
Joe: No, Marc (the bass player) came up with it. We were trying to find a name that would closely represent the message of the band and also cut through on google searches, haha!
Daniel/AR: Let’s talk a bit about your debut album, Inalienable. I think it packs quite a punch. Who produced this album?
Joe: John (guitarist) and I and Paul Miner. John and I tracked everything at our studio and Paul mixed and mastered at his studio, and also provided technical and emotional support throughout the tracking process. Paul was in the band Death by Stereo, but has since moved into recording and worked with artist like New Found Glory, AFI, Atreyu, and Lisa Loeb among many others. He was great to work with…super knowledgeable and a really cool guy. He struck a great balance of being laid back, but also being able to tell you if one of your ideas was lame.
Daniel/AR: How did the writing process on this album work? It seems anymore a lot of artists write pieces and coordinate via email.
Joe: Well, we built a studio so we all got into the room and jammed and that’s how 85% of the music came together. We have a lot of faith in one another as musicians so it just makes sense for us to write this way. Something kind of magical happens when you get in a room with your bros and create in real time, spontaneously. It is probably one of the best things about being in a band.
Daniel/AR: You have a whole batch of songs to get people excited about on this album. But let’s say you only have one shot to impress our readers. Which song on this album would you suggest they check out first?
Joe: Oy, tough question…”Not the Final Destination” is our first single and music video, which can be viewed on YouTube. It has insane energy, a ridiculous middle section, a catchy chorus, and is really heavy. It also features our vocal style that definitely separates us from most other metal bands that are as heavy as we are.
Daniel/AR: Did you get a little bonus money for your debut album or was it the result of a lot of savings and skipping out on certain meals?
Joe: Bonus money, haha! No, it was all savings …and credit…And skipping out on meals and rent. Well, maybe not the rent part. It’s tough though. We all pretty much work so that we can afford this band, haha. None of us live lavishly. We live modestly and have made music a priority in our lives for years.
John: Lots of spaghetti dinners and leftovers for lunch.
Daniel/AR: Let’s say you could pick any song of any band to represent you winning the following awards. For each award, pick a song to correlate:
Hot Dog Eating Contest: Painkiller (Judas Priest)
Hairiest Chest: Ace of Spades (Motorhead)
Surviving A Fight With Rottweilers: Broken, Beaten, Scarred (Metallica)
Most Smurfs Killed With A Styrofoam Noodle: Fucking Hostile (Pantera)
Most Yawns At A Tony Robbins Seminar: Sleeping Giant (Mastodon)
Daniel/AR: Let’s role play for a second. I have two testicles. You can kick each testicle one time. The reason you would kick me is because you absolutely hate answering these particular questions about yourself. Tell me those two questions now.
John: We reserve the sack-kicking for each other. It’s a pre-show ritual we do to get pumped up before taking the stage.
Daniel/AR: Have you ever injured your own testicles during a show or back stage?
Joe: Not yet, but that’s because we like to wear iron chastity belts ala Maid Marian in the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
