Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah, MonstrO, bloodsimple, Skrew)

     As a bass player not many people have influenced me more than Kyle Sanders. He is an incredibly talented musician from Atlanta. His brother Troy is the man on the low end for Mastodon and his other brother Darren is a well known guitar tech around the music world. It is safe to say that this family has a ton of not only love for music but also a genuine talent for playing music. Right before I did this interview I found out Kyle was going to be joining the band HELLYEAH for the upcoming tour in support of their new record "Blood for Blood". Thank you so much Kyle for taking time for the interview and the new gig with HELLYEAH.

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---Well first off Kyle and up front congratulations on the Hellyeah gig. That is an awesome bass player position to have.

     (PH)---Every band you have played in that I know about has been great. What memories do you have of the skrew days?

     Kyle Sanders (KS)---Skrew was another great time in my life. Played with some great players in that band..and Adam Grossman was / is a good friend to me. Some fun heavy ass music for sure.

     (PH)---What was one the of the best experiencing you gained from playing with Bloodsimple? 

     (KS)---Making both bloodsimple records were great experiences for me. As far as touring goes , we did a lot of great tours…Mudvayne , Slayer , Mastodon , Soulfly , Disturbed,,, Playing through out Europe (and on stage) with Alice in Chains was probably the highlight for me. I met Chad Gray with bloodsimple. He signed us to his label , which then connected us with Warner Bros. And now I'm in a band with him. Crazy how it all works out…. persistence is the key. 

  

     (PH)---MonstrO is incredible. I actually saw you guys open for Hellyeah. What has been going on with MonstrO?

     (KS)---MonstrO is yet another great band in my eyes…more diverse than my previous bands which is great. MonstrO is still a band .. we have each just been doing our own thing. Juan has been focusing on his artwork , Bevan is out doing shows with Static-X , I think Charlie has a band in Miami , and then there's me.

     (PH)---How did the Hellyeah gig happen for you?

     (KS)---I've had a long great relationship with Chad… from touring Mudvayne / bloodsimple to HELLYEAH / bloodsimple and HELLYEAH / MonstrO. Got to know those guys really well and consider them brothers. It was really just a 'meant to be' kind of thing.

     

     (PH)---Being that you are one of my bass heroes. I was just curious what is your favorite touring bass setup rig wise?  

     (KS)---I used to use more effects etc.. in the past but now am a 'less is more' kinda player. Been beating on solely Warwick basses for the past decade and mix up Mesa Boogie and Ampeg heads and cabs. Always have a sans amp in the mix and sometimes play around with other distortion and wah pedals but mainly keep it simple. Solid bass with Ampeg / Boogie combos…can't go wrong!

     

     (PH)---Where is your favorite place to play? Any certain cities or venues that have really stood out to you over the years?

     (KS)--- I love Spain and Australia as far as other countries…. and I like a nice old theatre / church type venue…somewhere kinda beautiful yet creepy. Places with old basements you can roam around. Always been a fan of playing my hometown in Atlanta and then touring thru Texas and the mid-west is always good times.

     (KS)---See ya out there man!

     (PH)---Thank you so much Kyle! Check out the links below to see what his bands are all about.

MonstrO 

bloodsimple  

HELLYEAH   

Connor Garritty (Singer for All Hail the Yeti and Owner/Tattoo artist at Timeless Tattoo in Los Angeles)

     Connor Garritty is the singer for the incredible metal band All Hail The Yeti. AHTY are a band I was introduced to about four years ago and they are still continuing to make waves in the musical community. In the last couple of years AHTY have toured with acts such as "In This Moment" and "Hollywood Undead" and have showed why they are a force to be reckoned with. Connor also is the Owner and a Tattoo artist at Timeless Tattoo. He is one of my favorite metal vocalist as well as tattoo artist, hope you enjoy the interview.

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---Connor I appreciate you taking some time to do this interview for me. I know right now “All Hail the Yeti” is out with In This Moment making waves. How has opening for them been for you guys as a band?

     Connor Garritty (CG)---This tour has been amazing for us. Every night the places are packed and we get to play our music to so many people that have never heard AHTY. Couldn't be happier. Itms (In This Moment’s) whole camp, band and crew are like family to us. They have taken us in and treated us like gold. We love them.

    (PH)---All Hail the Yeti I discovered after talking with Glendon Crain when he was touring with Hollywood Undead a few years ago. I think The EP you did as well as the full length album are purely amazing. What bands influence you in writing for All Hail The Yeti? To me I hear hints of Down, Eyehategod, and even some new Waitain.

     (CG)---There are so many different types of influences for us. When I started the band I wanted to have elements of those southern metal bands, but also add other things in there as well. Obviously it's hard for any band these days to not be influenced by Pantera, Black Sabbath etc. I listen to such a wide spectrum of music that there is probably a bit of everything in there. But definitely, Down, eyehategod, Acid Bath, Watain, Witchcraft, COC, I could go on for hours.

     

     (PH)---What is the future this year for All Hail the Yeti? Any plans of touring after this touring run with In This Moment?

     (CG)---Honestly right now we have a couple different offers for some tours, not sure if they will work for us or not. We have been working on new songs so that is a big priority for us right now. We want to have an arsenal of new music so when it's time to do the new record we are prepared for it.

     (PH)--- Besides music you are an incredible tattoo artist. How long have you been doing tattoos? I imagine it's nice to have more than one creative outlet for yourself but how do you manage to split time between your shop and the road?

     (CG)---I have been tattooing for about 16 years. I really couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. It's been a part if my life for so long now. To be able to be working with my hands as well as being artistic is great. It's a lot like making music really. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from work to go on the road and play music. I end up missing it quickly. Fortunately tattooing and metal go hand in hand.

     (PH)--- My two favorite songs off of your full length are probably "When the Sky Falls" and "After the great Fire". What is behind both of those songs? I honestly really enjoy the lyrics to both as well as the music.

     (CG)---When the sky falls has been interpreted different ways. Some people read it and come up with their own interpretation of what it's about. That was a big reason why we didn't put the lyrics in the booklet. We wanted to give the listener a chance to make their own story. How the song and words make each person feel is always going to be different. Sky falls is definitely a love song. It was written about the day I met my wife in Australia. After the Great Fire is a whole other monster. This is a story about a mental asylum run by catholic nuns. These women have devised a plan to get rid of the problem kids in the children's ward to collect the government money. They lock the children in their ward at night and set it on fire. Well in doing so they end up burning the entire building to the ground. Killing themselves  as well. Many years later the building is alive with the ghosts of vengeful children and guilt ridden women.

     (PH)--- What are your favorite songs to play live

     (CG)---I would say suicide woods and after the great fire. Deep creek is fun as well. Thanks again man! Anytime!!

Nik Frost (The Bangkok Five, Breaking Arrows)

      Nik is one of the best singers I have ever had the pleasure to watch perform. He is also a killer front-man and one of the last true rock & roll performers. Check out both of his band's at The Bangkok Five and Breaking Arrows. He is a legend in my eyes and gigantic influence to me vocally. Enjoy the interview.

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---First of all Nik you are in my top 10 vocalist of all time. What
bands and singers have really influenced you personally?

      Nik Frost (NF)---Wow, thanks for that! James Brown as a front man and genuine performer blew me away. I'd sit on YouTube for hours watching footage of him. So
serious and committed. He was doing something beyond noble up there,
changing the world with his music and his inability to "jive" to the
man. James Brown was a "danger" to society and he knew it and took it
very seriously. I got to play the HOB before him and meet him right
before he passed. He was "73 Years Young" and still had it, no
apologies, no excuses. Guy was the penultimate Rockstar. Then there
are the obvious Punk influences like Iggy and David Johansen.
Obviously Ian has a big part of my heart but if you follow Rock and
Roll, Iggy credits Jim Morrison, Bowie credits Iggy, Ian is a huge
Morrison fan and did an amazing job fronting the last incarnation of
The Doors while Ray was still around. I also love Elliot Smith and
Morrisy which a lot of people would never imagine. I'm actually doing
a new, kind of mellow, electronic thing called Elevator Music with a
couple rad dudes (soon to be revealed) which showcases the softer,
more eloquent side of my talent.
 

     (PH)---You are honestly one of the few true "front-men" out there right
now. It is also really obviously you truly love playing music when
watching you live. What do you think of the current state of rock &
roll?

      (NF)---Thanks for the compliment. Rock and Roll is pretty much dead fiscally
right now. It is hibernating and has been for the last 10 years. There
are a lot of great acts but as long as people and corporations
dis-honor the tradition by stealing music, streaming it for pennies,
insisting on licensing it for free, it will just kind of languish
where it is. I'm pretty flexible so I manage to thrive as I can write
and sing in any genre so it hasn't affected me personally. I laugh
when A&R guys who passed on my band 10 years ago are working for
Internet companies and shit. I'm still making music for a living,
never had a "real" job, have always had a record deal and will remain
prospering in this business until I die. I've kind of figured out the
nooks and crannies and have been fortunate to work with some rad music
houses, agents, publishers, etc.

 

     

     (PH)---What are some of your best memories from touring with The Cult
when The Bangkok Five opened up? What was it like for you personally
interacting with Ian Astbury?

      (NF)---Best memory: We'd been following their bus in a converted Airport
Shuttle Van and were wiped out from driving, not sleeping, etc. Billy
Duffy saw me stumbling to sound check one afternoon and sent me to his
personal dressing room to get cleaned up, telling me that if "anyone
tried to stop to me, to ignore them and hold up my middle finger". I
did, created a bunch of drama which Billy happily ironed out
accordingly. Great dudes... Ian is a great guy. He worked very closely
as well with Chris Goss (My first US deal was produced by Goss out at
Rancho De La Luna where a lot of that Desert stuff is recorded). Goss
kind of "co-created" QotSA with Josh Homme so I had a lot to talk with
Ian about other than sucking his Rock star dick with compliments. He
treated me as a peer and a professional which was nice. It was a blast
watching him rock the stage every night. Important to say that they've
all remained friends of mine and that Billy Duffy and Chris Wyse are
some of the sweetest guys I've ever known.

      (PH)---Breaking Arrows is a newer band you are in. How did that band come
about? The material is incredible are you planning on touring in the
US anytime soon?

      (NF)---Breaking Arrows is the brainchild of a pretty successful Japanese
guitarist named Daita who broke records with the incredible attendance
(Selling out Budokan 3 nights in a row) of his live shows in the 90's.
I worked with Marti Fredriksen on a tribute record to his big Japanese
band, Daita heard it and drafted me into the project. We recorded a
sick record for Sony did some big shows in Japan, got a lot of support
from the label and are planning on playing some shows out here in
February as well as continuing our writing collaboration.
 

     (PH)---Tell me about recording last year at Dave Catching's studio? You
guys had some killer players with you in the studio for that session.
Ive been fortunate enough to chill with Dave and Wino both before,
what was it like recording with Dave and writing with Wino?

      (NF)---I've known Dave for years, he actually found my first guitar player,
Brian Murphy, for my Rock and Roll band The Bangkok Five. He also
religiously cooked for us when we recorded out there with Goss. He's
an amazing human being a great guitar player and pretty much a
culinary genius. He's very casual about everything and there's NEVER
bad or weird shit in the studio when he's around, just love and good
vibes. The studio was founded 1993 by Fred Drake who passed in 2003.
Catching became his partner in 1994 and has carried the torch since.
Some of my favorite records have been made there so it was an obvious
choice when we decided to do our project Black Bird Die. It really was
magical: We had Wino on lead guitar, Catching on lap steel, fucking
Greg Hetson (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks) on rhythm guitar, Brian
"Brane" Klemke (The Knives) played acoustic and produced the whole
thing as well as other notables such as, Chris Sorem engineering and
arranging, Scott Clowes on keys and Hoss Wright (Mondo Generator,
BL'AST) on drums. Even had the legendary bass vocalist, Torrance
Jackson from the Burgundy Room sing the last chorus! We all stayed at
Brian "Big Hands" (EoDM) place nearby and even got some hang time with
the legendary "Hutch" who lives up the road.

    

     

     (PH)---What are the plans for you personally in the music world for 2014?

     (NF)---Keep rocking and keep making music. The Bangkok Five has a new, full
length studio album in the can called White Witch, Elevator Music is
in the middle of finishing a record, Breaking Arrows will start
writing some new stuff in mid February. We keep the torch burning,
white hot and hold it high above are heads as we continue the fight...
Thanks for the time buddy ;)

Matt Mcjunkins (A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide, 30 Seconds to Mars)

     

      Patrick Houtz (PH)---I have had the pleasure of seeing Matt Mcjunkins play on several occasions and being a bass player myself, I am always looking for new influences. Matts' playing and stage presence were great. At the time he was playing in "Ashes Divide" which features Billy Howerdel of "A Perfect Circle" fame. He has now went on to play bass for "A Perfect Circle" and toured as the bass player for "30 Seconds to Mars". He is honestly one of the best out there. Hope you enjoy the interview.

 

     (PH)---First of all Matt thank you so much for agreeing to answer a few questions for me.
 

     (PH)---I remember the first time I saw you playing was with Ashes Divide at Rock on the Range. I was blown away by the entire band you guys had. What was that time period of touring with someone like Billy Howerdel like for you? What memories really stand out for you from that time period?

     Matt Mcjunkins (MM)---I remember that tour very well.  Lots of great memories.  The whole process from joining the band to going out on tour was pretty unique.  None of us knew each other mostly(I knew Jeff from a gig or two beforehand) and we were all fans of APC so we were really excited about playing with Billy.  We all became fast friends and developed a quick chemistry on and off stage.  Playing with Billy was(and continues to be) a lot of fun.  He has a unique writing style and tends to create a lot of interesting bass parts so I learned a lot just by learning them.  How to approach the instrument differently.  I also had to do quite a bit of singing on that tour and had to really work on it to get to a point to where I felt confident on stage with it.  

  

     (PH)---The last few years I know you have been playing with A Perfect Circle as well as Puscifer. It must be incredible for you as a player to share the stage with so many great musicians from James Iha, Maynard, to Mat Mitchell. What have you learned from being around those guys musically? How do you think it has made you grow as an artist.

     (MM)---Yes it is!  Every tour has been a growing/learning experience.  You can’t NOT learn something in these scenarios.  If you don’t, then you’re not paying attention.  I’ve learned more than I could probably list here without taking up pages and pages.  I think the biggest lesson learned is just how you can find an interesting way to approach things.  Everyone in those bands has a very unique writing/playing/singing style.  They all challenge themselves to keep things fresh and different.

  

     (PH)---If I am correct you did some time touring with 30 Seconds to Mars as well. How did that come about?

     (MM)---You are correct.  It was actually two things.  I’m friends with Tim Kelleher(their bassist at the time) and he recommended me and at the same time they were going through Musician’s Institute Alumni and Barry Squire to look for someone.  I was MI Alum and had went out for auditions through Barry before so I was getting approached by both sides.    

     (PH)---Being a total gear nerd what is your favorite live and studio bass setups? How do you really decided what is best for each band that you play in?

     (MM)---Aren’t we all?!  So far my favorite has been a Fender P-Bass Deluxe, through a Mesa Boogie 400+ and a boogie EV 15 cab.  That was the for the first Puscifer tours.  The head and cab are long discontinued so you have to cruise Ebay or Craigslist to find those.  As far as what setup to use with every different band?  Well there are a lot of factors.  Tone of course is always what you start with, but then you have to consider your stage setup, where you’re touring(shipping overseas is rather pricey), and what you’re monitoring setup is.

     (PH)---Tell me as much as you can about your new band "The Beta Machine". Between you and Jeff Friedl I am extremely excited to hear what you guys put out musically.

     (MM)---So are we!  Jeff and I have worked together a lot over the last 6 years, and it seemed only natural for us to do our own thing.  We also have some great help in getting these first songs together.  Mat Mitchell is producing and Claire Acey from Nightmare and the Cat is lending her voice.  And Carina Round sings on a song.  We’re putting together the live show now so we’ll be looking to do some shows once that’s ready.  We’ve released a few remixes we did for our friends but haven’t put out any of our original stuff just yet.  But to get a sense of what that will be like, you can hear a teaser on our website www.thebetamachine.com.

     (PH)---I like yourself am a bass player. I was wondering what is the best advice you can give to not only get better as a bass player but grow as a musician? 

     (MM)---I suppose the first and obvious thing is to practice.  But change up the way you practice and what you work on.  Make sure you’re keeping things fresh and not hashing through the same stuff year after year.  For me I never really knew exactly what I wanted to do as a music career.  I knew I wanted to be a working musician, but never was sure if I wanted to be a session guy, start my own band, or join someone else’s.  If you have a clear vision of what you want to do, then follow it to the end and see it through.  But if you’re not 100% sure, then you need to be open to different experiences.  Try things out(different styles, different techniques, play with different people) and see what suits you best at that time.  

   (PH)---I Just want to thank Matt again for the great interview and being a really nice guy.

Jim Louvau An Artist With A Vision.

     Jim Louvau is not only my favorite photographer but he also has fronted some great bands such as TheAttitude and Victims in Ecstasy. He is one of the most inspirational people out there in my opinion. He has photographed everyone from NIN, GNR, and Roger Waters to Black Sabbath. I wanted to upfront give credit to and a thanks to Jim for providing all the photos he has shot for this article. You can check out all his work at Louvau Photography.

 

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---Let's first talk about your photography work. How did you start getting into doing professional photography?  

     Jim Louvau (JL)---I took a black and white film photography class my senior year of high school and my teacher would always get upset with me because all of the assignments I would turn in were of a local band here in Phoenix called N17. He would tell me that if I ever wanted a chance to be a professional photographer I would have to learn how to shoot portraits and subjects other than bands. Music has always been my passion from the time I could walk and I always wanted to capture the energy of what I saw with a camera. At that time I didn't even own a camera I borrowed a friends dads camera that he hadn't used in years. I completely stopped shooting when I started Victims In Ecstacy and focused all my time on the band. Then in 2005 I went out on Warped Tour with my friends Opiate For the Masses to collect video footage and document their life on the road. When I wasn't shooting them I was shooting up and coming bands on the tour like Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance, The Transplants, and Billy Idol was on some dates. I came home from tour with a pretty good portfolio and no job to come home to. I was broke like every other artist in the world and I took the first job I could find doing customer service at The Arizona Republic. After I had been there a little while I just got on a company directory and found out who the photo editor was and I picked up the phone and called him. He sorta laughed at me and told me he was going on vacation but would look at my stuff and that there were no jobs available. Well after he got back he blew me off three or four times until I wouldn't take no for an answer. He finally met with me and he said your stuff is good but again I can't do anything for you but that I should reach out to the music department and let them know if anyone ever cancels or couldn't do an assignment that I was interested. A couple months went by and someone couldn't shoot an Aerosmith and Motley Crue show so they called me. I started with that one and then it was two a month, and then grew to the point I was doing four a week. The paper put me in front of the biggest acts that came through town and playing music over the years and making friends with so many other bands gave me unique opportunities to get access that others didn't have.

 

 

      (PH)---Who are some of your favorite bands you have been able to shoot either live or for cover art?

 

     (JL)---Getting the chance to shoot shows like Nine Inch Nails, Guns N' Roses, Marilyn Manson, and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd on multiple occasions was pretty amazing as they were all very influential to me as a kid. As much as I love to shoot the live stuff album artwork is still the most rewarding as an artist. My favorite piece to date is still the cover I did for theATTITUDE's last E.p because I had a very vivid vision of what I wanted and I was able to execute that image exactly the way I pictured it in my head.

 

 

     (PH)---I know you also do some sports photography as well. Is it nice being able to mix up both music and sports to keep the photography kind of fresh for yourself?

     (JL)---Shooting sports is a whole new world for me and it's a completely different mindset in some ways to music since it's very unpredictable in what is going to happen and it's a lot more about guessing what is going to happen. Being a big sports fan myself it's quite the rush walking out of the tunnel of a stadium into full of fans and some of my favorite players.

 

 

     (PH)---I listen to your band Victims In Ecstacy still to this day. You guys had a killer lineup with you, Andy Gerold, and Jim Kaufman. All you guys have been extremely successful in the music business. What are some of the best memories playing and touring in the Victims in Ecstacy days? What were the biggest influences you guys had musically at that point? 

     (JL)---Most of my memories of the V.I.E days aren't really ones I can share but we were young and wild and that band shaped all of us to move on to the next musical moments in our lives. It's kinda funny to look back and remember when Disturbed opened for us or playing with Linkin Park and touring with Pigface. Andy has felt like a sixth member of theATTITUDE over the years as he has played on or worked on all of our records and Jared Bakin has also been in and out of the band since we started.

 

 

      (PH)---The Attitude was also an incredible band you fronted as well. Are you guys planning on anything coming up in the future as far as live shows or are you just mostly concentrated on photography right now?

     (JL)---We spent most of last year away from playing live and focused more on writing and making plans for 2014. We have a full record we haven't released yet and a bunch more remixes to go along with it that we will put out this year and hopefully do some more touring to support it. Music is an emotional roller coaster for me and photography helps me balance the two art forms and keeps me from going crazy.

 

 

      (PH)---There is video of you playing with tons of different people from Jay Gordon, Elias Andra, and Chris Vrenna to name a few. Who would you say has been the biggest honor for you personally to share the stage with? 

     (JL)---It was really cool playing with Vrenna, we met through Andy when we were both going through really dark times in our personal lives and I specifically remember heading to rehearsal with him and realizing he hadn't played any of the Nine Inch Nails songs we were covering since he had been in the band he had to listen to them in headphones to remember the parts. We toured with Orgy a couple years back so I've played quite a few shows with Jay Gordon and I actually had to fill in for 5-6 songs for them in Las Vegas last month when his flight was delayed. He has definitely taken us under his wing. As far a people I've played on the same shows as Chino Moreno, Chester Bennington, Scott Weiland, and Johnny Rotten even though I am not a fan.

 

 

      (PH)---Do you have any other musical endeavors coming up? 

     (JL)---Between photography and theATTITUDE my year will be pretty packed but I'm usually not one to turn down projects of interest.

 

 

Aaron Harris (Palms, Isis) Short Interview on Illegal Downloading from Nov. 20th 2012

     I did this short interview last year while going to college. It was an assignment I had to address for a business class. I was lucky to be able to interview Aaron Harris who has played with the bands Isis and Palms as well as being a drum tech for Tool and The Deftones. I just thought it would be neat to throw it up now that I have this blog. Thanks for checking it out.
   

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---The first question I have is how did illegal downloading affect your band "Isis" and secondly how do you see it affecting "Palms" as well?

     Aaron Harris (AH)---Illegal downloading is a debate that could be discussed and dissected for days. There's lots of different ways to look at it. Both good and bad. It's really easy these days to go online and steal a record that a band/artist has spent many hours and lots of money making. People forget how much time and money is spent making these records. Opinions are formed and reviews are given before the record is even released. In ISIS, we really worked hard to present our records as a whole. The artwork and packaging were just as important as the music. Other than the obvious fact that we were loosing money directly from illegal downloading, we were also having our records presented in a way that we hadn't intended. Touring became the way that we made most of our money as record sales declined even as the band grew in popularity. I'm sure downloading affects major label acts much differently than indie artists. We were always very hands on with ISIS, and smart about how we spent our money. I can't imagine the impact downloading has on some of the really big budget records. I guess the bright side of downloading would be that your music gets in the hands of potentially more people, and it can be used as a way to promote your record. It builds a buzz about the release. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

(Aaron Harris, Drum Teching for Tool 2011 Australia)

 

     (PH)---Do you think the laws set up currently are working at all? If not what do you think could be done to curb illegal downloading if anything?      

     (AH)---I'm not sure what can be done, if anything, to prevent illegal downloading. At a certain point you're looking at spending all your money trying to prevent people from stealing it, so it doesn't make much sense. The thing to do is to embrace the change and hope that your record doesn't leek too early to your release date, and that people don't spread a negative review of it before it's even released. One solution is to use sort of a reverse psychology like Radiohead did and offer a name your own price for the release (free being an option). In creating the Palms record we have the advantage of me being an audio engineer, so we're able to keep the costs of making the album low. If I wasn't, we'd be looking to make the record as cheaply as we could get away with. Just like most other bands these days.

Derek DeSantis (Twisted Method, Ekotren, Makeshift Romeo)

     I was able to interview Derek DeSantis from Twisted Method and Makeshift Romeo fame today. It was honestly an honor just because he has been a inspiration to me as a player since I began playing bass. Enjoy everyone!

     Patrick Houtz (PH)---First of all thank you so much for taking the time do this interview Derek.
     
     Derek DeSantis (DD)---Happy to do it, Patrick.

     (PH)---Most people probably remember you as the bassist for Twisted Method, one of my favorite bands ever. What was it like getting signed so young and being successful so early on in your musical career? 

    (DD)---It was, by far, the most exciting thing to ever happen to me in my life!  From that point and the next few years, everything was one big roller-coaster ride.  I honestly didn't realize how good I had it; I was seeing places and meeting people I had only dreamed about, and getting to play with bands I idolized growing up.  

     (PH)---One of my favorite things about Twisted Method was that you had great material and also were lucky to have a real front man in a time where they were kind of fading away in my opinion. What was it like playing along side Tripp? 

     (DD)---Tripp's my buddy first, and was my bandmate second. It was like doing anything else with your best friends.  It was fun. He's just one of those dudes who is naturally talented; he can just go up there and sing his ass off like it's nothing.  Very charismatic, and that's why people loved TM.  You had a frontman that knew how to keep the crowd paying attention.  

     
     (PH)---Because I am a total gear dork, I was wondering what kind of basses and amps were you using on those early tours?

      (DD)---Back in the TM days I had a Custom Yamaha RBX 5 string made out at YGD (Yamaha Guitar Development) in California.

    The rig itself was all Mesa/Boogie;  Mpulse 600 heads and Roadready 6x10 cabs.  These days I'm sporting a SansAmp RBI    Preamp, an Ampeg SVT4Pro Head, an Ampeg SVT Classic 8x10 , with 3 different Ibanez ATK Basses.

     (PH)---You were honestly one of the first bass players that really inspired me other than Jason Newsted. I was starting to play live about the same time Twisted Method was touring Ozzfest. It was great seeing peers I looked up to making such strong waves in the metal scene. What are some of your best memories of those early days?

     
     (DD)---Man, every day made a great new memory for me, during the Ozzfest run. Seriously, waking up everyday to the Second Stage sound engineers blaring Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast" got me pumped for the day ahead!  What can I say?  Hanging with people all day, having a good time, getting to play the biggest (at that time) metal tour going..I loved every second of it.

     (PH)---After Twisted Method split, what motivated the start of Makeshift Romeo? That record I still listen to to this day. You guys had a really killer lineup in that band. 

     (DD)---I think the will to carry on making music was really the motivation.  Honestly, when Andy passed, we didn't want to continue in the same line of music we were making.  TM was Andy's legacy, and to try to write along the same lines didn't seem right.  With MSR, we focused on different aspects that we considered strong suits for Tripp, and for the rest of the band that ultimately formed  with myself, Edsel (Dope) and Virus (Device, Dope, Big and Rich, Rock of Ages.)  Definitely more mainstream than TM, but nonetheless we had fun writing and playing the material.

     (PH)---The last time I saw you play was with Ekotren in Springfield Missouri a few years ago. Are you still playing with them? What are you up to these days? Any Future Plans?

     (DD)---Ekotren is still alive; we play from time to time.  We have new songs and are working on others.  Life has thrown us curveballs in recent times, and we are adapting and surviving as we go.  People do want to see Ekotren, and we want to give them that, but Life happens for us all, and we need to deal with it the right way.  I know I'm keeping that kind of vague, but I'm sure everyone out there can relate, (if they think about what that sentence means.)  

     
     (PH)---Thank you so much for your time once again Derek. Good luck with everything in the future.

     (DD)---The pleasure was mine to talk with you, Patrick.  Thanks for reaching out.  All the best to you.