Attending Vainstream Rockfest gave us an excellent chance to catch up with some of our favorite bands and artists. One of them was the uber-chill Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder. Despite the early slot, the band delivered an amazing show. Admittedly it was a bad timing to do this interview, with the new album coming out later this year so Trevor wouldn't really be able to share a lot of details, but we couldn't resist.
Trevor Strnad: It's cool! It's nice for us to play a
more mixed festival like this, where we stand out as a heavy band, as opposed to
playing an entirely metal festival where we blend right in. It's good to be the
sore thumb, to attract curious people who want to check us out. They are
already there, [we are] something new, something different [they] haven't
heard, [so they] check it out. That's how we look at it.
U: Being the heaviest band, you sort of have
a privilege to make fun of other bands.
T.S.: A little bit, why not? (giggles)
U: You have a new album coming out in Fall,
so this is probably the wrong timing to be doing the interview. How much are
you allowed to share with us?
T.S.: There's too much I can't say right
now... The new album is coming out early in October. It's all recorded now,
we're finishing up the mixes, listening to them and tweaking a few small
details... We're really excited about it! I think we did a very good job and
it's our first album with our new guitar player, Brandon Ellis. He killed it on
the leads and he also wrote a lot of really good music for us too. It's
exciting to have a new guy come in and pick up where the last guy left off and
contribute musically... So yeah, everything's pretty much done. We're waiting
for the first song to come out to the public, which should be relatively soon I
imagine. Exciting times, but I can't tell you more, not even the title.
U: What should the fans expect?
T.S.: I think they're gonna like it a lot!
It's definitely down the path that we set out; it's not too different -not a
change of direction by any means- but Brandon coming in and bringing his
songwriting is really cool. He's got some really great ideas, he's very
musically inclined, probably the most talented guy we've had come through the
band as far as that goes. There's a good blend of classical influences, we've
been creeping towards that with the last few records -we call it the “powdered
wig style. It's creeping into the band more and more, more neoclassical
influences, so I think people are really gonna like it! It's definitely a TBDM
record. To me, it feels very fresh.
U: If you were a member of the Spice Girls,
what would be your Spice name?
T.S.: Biggie Spice? The fat one? (laughs)
Foodie Spice? Gravy Spice! I like gravy.
U: If you woke up one day in the opposite
gender’s body, what would be your first
reaction?
T.S.: I guess I’d be stoked! First of all, I’d
like to be somebody else, I think everybody wants to be someone else. I think
it’d be interesting to check it out, to see what we put them through. (laughs)
U: What’s the
worst trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
T.S.: I haven’t been in that much trouble, really.
Not legal trouble anyway… I’m pretty good I guess, in the eyes of the law…
U: What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever
done?
T.S.: Asked me to spit on them –I didn’t do
it, of course- or punch them in the face. I appreciate that they want to have
an encounter that I’ll remember –and maybe that’s their intention, but that’s a
little too far. I don’t wanna hurt or disrespect anybody like that. I’ve had
someone ask me to fuck their girlfriend before. I didn’t do it but I thought it
was weird. (laughs)
U: What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
T.S.: That I don’t get into trouble (laughs)
U: TBDM are the masters of DIY when it comes
to weed, according to your videos. [ed. –no,
really. Those guys lit a pipe under the sun.] How far have you gone the get
high?
T.S.: This is a good one. One time we were in
the UK and we didn’t have any weed left so everybody was getting cranky. We
found this tiny nugget smashed at the bottom of someone’s backpack so we [tried
to find a way to smoke it]. We used a tea kettle, put it inside the kettle, steamed
it until it evaporated the crystals on it and stuck a straw down into it. It
was pretty pathetic and obviously
didn’t work very well –there was barely any weed to begin with- but that’s how
low you’ll sink some times… (laughs)
U: Fuck, marry, kill in the band.
T.S.: I AM married to them, that’s the thing!
(laughs)
U: If you could push a button, and anyone in
the world would explode, who would you choo…
T.S.: Truuump. That’s an easy one. And I can
imagine a lot of people would press the same button.
U: True. What do you want the band’s legacy
to be?
T.S.: To be remembered for –hopefully- good
music. Hopefully people will like our records after we’re gone. That’s my hope;
to make some kind of an impact on metal. I know we’re not the most original
band by any means, never said that we were but I’d like to be remembered somehow as
making a contribution. That’d be cool.
(All pictures by Dearohwell Photography)
(All pictures by Dearohwell Photography)
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