Perhaps you haven’t yet heard of a country rock outfit named Tattoo Billy from Ohio. I stumbled across them recently and after watching the following video for their song, “Woman Child”, I simply had to find out more. Check out the video and then listen in on my chat with bass player Ed Begley.

I know that you founded the band along with Hurstel Begley. What’s the relation there? And where did you snag the other two members? Also, where did the name “Tattoo Billy” come from?

Hurstel is my father & he thought the name up, but I’m the only one with tattoo’s so a lot of people think I’m Billy. At first between sets I would here them say hey billy, it took me awhile to realize they where talking to me. The drummer Ron Smith has been with Hurstel since 1990 & I joined in 1993 & Gary Little Joined in 2000.

I checked out your videos online, and I have to say “Woman Child” was definitely my favorite. Is that song based on any real life stories?

Woman child was fictional & meant to make fun of older men chasing young women.

One of your songs, “Cutting Loose”, was recently featured in the indie horror film “Kiss of the Vampire”. How did you land that deal?

I auditioned as a extra & I was about to leave because I felt out of place but the lord in my soul told me to stay or I would miss an opportunity. I auditioned & Joe Torantore liked it so well, he said if he had not signed a contract with another actor I would have his part. I passed off our cd to him.

I understand that the band also had a small cameo in the film. How was that experience? Will Tattoo Billy be moving to Hollywood any time soon?

We where in the background of the scene with our song & in the audience scene when one of the actors is talking to the Illuminati. I was surprised at the amount of work involved & Joe Torantore is an EXCELLENT Director. I also must add Mathias Hues was a top shelf individual & is about to be in a historic movie, 1066. Joe Torantore & his partner Frank Russo are about to start a new picture & they have plans for us.

Do you guys do a lot of live performances? What’s the typical crowd at a Tattoo Billy show like?

We play out as much as possible and do as many benefits as possible and the crowds range from bikers, to sometimes goths, to norms I guess mix in race, too. I like that we appeal to a wide audience.

What happens when you play 21 and over shows? Do the “woman childs” protest? Or do you sneak them in?

They most of the time allow them in, but stamp their hands.

I was surprised to see your influences listed on the band’s MySpace ranging everywhere from Dwight Yoakam to Blink 182. I could maybe hear a little Dwight in there, but Blink 182?

Yeah we love everything, right now I’m a big fan of Senses Fail, got all their records, met their guitar player, gave him our cd. He said he liked southern rock. But to me, you have to be like Johnny Cash and keep an open mind to music. Tattoo billy is about to release an alternative rock album, one song called Lady in White is based on an ancestor of mine burned at the stake in Henry the 8ths reign.

Wow, awesome. So, what else is next for Tattoo Billy? Any plans to hit the road any time soon?

We have had offers but nothing lucrative enough to make it happen, but we keep an open mind to the right offer.

And finally, please settle the great debate: Neil Young or Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Good question and honestly I love both and think they’re both great. Thank you for your time.

_______

To find out more about Tattoo Billy, check out their official site.

1st off is there anything you would like to say about the band?

     We Rock with a capital R.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Tell me a little be about yourself, Where your from, what got you into music, how long you’ve been writing music?

     We come from the south of the Netherlands and have played all music styles that Rock has to offer…from Death to Speed to power and glam metal..been there, done that…for many odd Years.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

How has being a music artist improved your life?

     For us it is very normal to feel so cool, but when we walk down the street and see de rest of the dullets out there…we realize how cool it is to feel SO COOL!!!! Thanks to ROCK!!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you start playing music with any other instruments?

     NO…Its guitar, bass drums and pure raw vocals all the way
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your influences and how have they affected your music?

     Music with heart and feel is what we want to hear and play.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What has been your greatest experience as an artist?

     Opening for all time hero ACE FREHLEY is a nice one, and creative freedom all the time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your favorite bands/songs?

     To much to mention but we like BIG ROCK !!
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Is there a story behind the band name?

     We all met when we were working as farmers breeding Werewolfs…at a farm.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Whats the biggest show you’ve played?

     Supporting ACE FREHLEY at the only date he played in Holland.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

The longest tour you’ve been on?

      A 3 hour ride to Belgium
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What Kind of Equipment do you use?

     Cheap ass but hard as Hell!!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________

OK, because Im a car guy as well, I gotta ask whats your dream car and what do you drive now?

     The last tour killed our car…Opel Corsa. Dreamcar is a fully Pimped Tourvan
___________________________________________________________________________________________

 Whats your favorite movie/ tv show?

     The Horse Whisperer and the little house on the prairie
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What are some of your favorite foods and drinks?

     Fat is fun and we let the alcohol run…and a lot of Boerenkool stamp ( typical Dutch food )
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you or your fans gotten hurt in a mosh pit?

     Our stage is the mosh pit and we get hurt all the time
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What is something that you think everyone should try?

     Our CD single!
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What other bands have you played with?

     We don’t play but compete with other bands
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the greatest experience you’ve had so far?

     The tons of SWF sluts at our backstage door
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to face?

     To stay faithful to our wives
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever forgotten lines to a song during a show?

     All the time…our singer is high on medication.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

How did you cope?

     Stop popping those pills
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Who is the craziest fan you’ve had?

     A local hero SPANDEX MARCO
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you have any hobbies outside of playing music?

     We all like to muscles those whammies!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________

How long have you been playing before being in the band?

     Couple of years
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you have plans to tour in the future?

     To rule the planet with our double taking, long haired faking, master blasting, type casting, evil eye peeling, tattooing feeling, grave robbing, veins propping, Hellza bopping, stage bleeding, inbred breeding, son of a gun style of Dutch Rock N Rolla
___________________________________________________________________________________________

I know You just Released a Single, Whats the next step for you?

     A full grown album
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Now I gotta ask, how did you find our site and what do you like about it?

     Our manager told us and it ROCKS
___________________________________________________________________________________________

What don’t you like, or something you would change?

     More male nude
___________________________________________________________________________________________

 Thank You To Southern Werewolf Farm for talking with us!!

Check out more of Southern Werewolf Farm right here on Moshable

Recently I got the chance to have a little chat with Nate Reinauer, lead singer and ring leader of the super power-pop group Sweet Diss and the Comebacks, who hail from Eastern Washington.

The band has a fantastic catalog of power-pop/rock gems, but is probably most famous for its songs “Pam Pong” and “Dunder and Dwightning”, both tributes to the NBC sitcom “The Office”. Since its release, “Pam Pong” has received so much attention that it earned them a mention in Entertainment Weekly.

If you’re into rocking singalong tunes that are catchy as all hell, you need to do yourself a favor and check them out. You can visit their MySpace or you can check out a couple extra special tracks right here on their Moshable page. And now for some Q+A!

Nate, I’ve always wanted to know but been too afraid to ask…what does “Sweet Diss and the Comebacks” mean?

I have no idea. All I remember is that “and the Comebacks” came first, and I was really happy when I came up with “Sweet Diss” later. Then I was depressed when I realized “diss” should be spelled “dis”. Then I was happy again when I realized I didn’t care anymore. (Actually I just checked freedictionary.com, and it can be spelled either way! Yesssss.)

Is Sweet Diss pretty much the biggest band in Eastern Washington? Is it true that there is an East Washington/West Washington rivalry between you and MxPx?

That’s a common misconception and I’m glad you brought it up. Nirvana was actually the West Washington band we had a rivalry with. It was pretty rough. We all know what happened to Kurt. (Too soon?)

I understand there is a girl in Sweet Diss. Is this a clever marketing ploy?

We actually started out as a girl group, and band leader Lori decided to replace their old singer Tracie with me as a marketing ploy, so people could be like, “hey there’s that girl group with the dude singer”. It worked out for a while, until we realized that the buying public were a bunch of misogynistic assholes who preferred it the other way around. So we fired those other hoes and got Josh and Tyler.

There have been some delays in the release of the new Sweet Diss album. Will we have to wait 15 years? Will it be better than Chinese Democracy?

Well, it will probably be several more months until it’s totally finished. But yes, you will have to wait 15 years. We’ve decided that, like wine, music tastes much better aged. We’ll wait till our fans are in their 30s or 40s before we let them get drunk off our sick grooves.

Speaking of the new album…can you tell us anything more about it? How will it sound compared to previous Sweet Diss releases?

I was hoping you’d say “Speaking of getting drunk off of sick grooves…” but that’s a good question, too. It’ll hopefully sound like pouring 6 gallons of bubblegum slushie into the Batcopter and flying it into the Sun.

Does the new album have a title yet?

Well, at the moment it has two. We went through several ideas, everything from “Maximum Vend” to “There Is No ‘Sweet Diss and the Comebacks’ in TEAM”. But we finally decided on either “Swaying Isn’t Dancing” or “Stop, Rock, & Roll” (although we’re still unsure of the placement of the commas in that last one). We’re going to put a lot more thought into it, but in the end, it’s probably going to be something completely different that we make up in a panic at the very last second, like “Purple Cat Purrade” or something equally regrettable.

There is nothing regrettable about Purple Cat Purrade! The new record is being mixed in Nashville. Is it true that LeAnn Rimes is producing?

Close! It’s actually Wyatt Funderburk of the band Second Saturday who is mixing it. As we speak, hopefully. I have him on my twitter so I can check this.

Not too long ago, Jenna Fisher of NBC’s “The Office” added your song “Pam Pong” to her MySpace page. Did this lead to any sort of romantic involvement between you and Jenna?

It’s funny you should ask. I don’t think we had a relationship, but she did separate from her husband around the same time she put our song up. I’m not saying there’s a connection. I’m just saying.

A little birdie told me that you are working on a song of epic proportions, one that may be as long as 8 minutes or more. If this new song challenged Stairway to Heaven to a game of one-on-one basketball, who would win, and why?

It’ll actually be around 10 minutes, so your little birdie friend is a damn liar! It’s about a dream I had once and it’s hopefully going to be the longest 10 minute song ever. I can’t comment on the S.T.H. basketball competition right now though cause the song is currently in the middle of a heated water polo match against the Bee Gees.

Before we conclude this interview, would you like to give a shout-out to anyone?

You’re going down, Stairway!!

In a situation that most people would find bleak and hopeless, rapper T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., is taking a true entrepreneurial approach at dealing with the cards that have been dealt.

Back on October 13th of 2007, T.I. was arrested by federal authorities and charged with 2 felonies for illegal possession of firearms and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. T.I. was busted when he allegedly gave a bodyguard, whom had been working for him for 4 months at the time, $12,000 in order to purchase 3 machine guns and 2 silencers on the rappers behalf.

The bodyguard turned out to be a “co-operating witness” with the A.T.F., and T.I. was a convicted felon, meaning he could not legally purchase or possess a firearm, so you clearly see why the whole situation worked out the way it did for T.I.

On February 19th of 2008, T.I. pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges. The outcome? T.I. will spend 1 year behind bars beginning in March of 2009. While the mere thought of spending a year in the slammer would be enough to make most of us beg for mommy, T.I. is taking the whole situation like a champ. Not only is he keeping his head up throughout this entire ordeal, but he is also planning on using it to his advantage.

In an interview with MTV news, T.I. stated “Presumably, while I’m in there, I’ll be able to strategize my comeback. All those days will be spent speaking to people who are interested in being in the T.I. business. Preparing myself for the days those doors open, when I put my feet back on the ground of the free world. It’s just months of planning, It’s just a long time to roll the project out. I ain’t gonna just be sitting still doing nothing. The wheels will be turning, just the car ain’t going nowhere.”

Like a true entrepreneur, T.I. plans to use his time in jail to plan and prepare for what should be called ‘T.I. – The Second Coming’. If you still think that T.I. is simply telling the world that he will cope with being in jail, when in reality it has him shaking in his boots, dreading the day he has to turn himself in, think again.

T.I. is working on a New Line Cinema film titled “For Sale”, and trying to get the project completed before his ‘vacation’ begins. While I may catch heat for saying T.I. is a good role model, I do feel safe in saying that his determination, drive, and spirit, are qualities we should all possess in this day and age. Life is short, mistakes are made, but how you handle yourself and the position you are in is what really shows who you are.

A video from one of Moshable’s Artists Enjoy!!

                     
1st off is there anything you would like to say about the band?
—————————————————————————————–
Well, we love what we do, we are incredibly dedicated and always push to be as big as we can be and bring our music to everyone who cares to listen

Tell me a little be about yourself, Where your from, what got you into music, how long you’ve been writing music?
——————————————————————————————-
Well all of us collectively have been playing many instruments since we have been young, no lessons all self taught. Thats all there is to do in Niagara Falls, New York. We are all just big fans of many different styles of music that influence us

How has being a music artist improved your life?
——————————————————————————————-
We meet so many cool people, who enjoy what we do and thats the best feeling ever, it brings us to the public.

Did you start playing music with any other instruments?
————————————————————————————-
Well all of us play many instruments including: guitars, bass, drums, keyboard, brass, wind instruments, electronic sampling, vocals

What are your influences and how have they affected your music?
—————————————————————————————–
Everyone brings a different aspect to the band ranging from mozart, to motion city soundtrack, underoath, the devil wears prada, we all get different influences fromn different places it mixes quite well.

What has been your greatest experience as an artist?
——————————————————————————————-
Being able to play for hundreds of strangers

What are your favorite bands/songs?
——————————————————————————————-
Underoath, motion city soundtrack, imogen heap, genghis tron, august burns red, Catherine, The Devil Wears Prada, Journey, DoomDiddyDoomDoom, The morning of, enter shikari, circa survive

Is there a story behind the band name?
——————————————————————————————-
People used to hate our music and always said ” wow they really killed the moment( show)

Whats the biggest show you’ve played?
——————————————————————————————
We just recently played two big shows with Poison the well, and Stick to your guns

The longest tour you’ve been on?
——————————————————————————————
We are to broke to tour haha

What Kind of Equipment do you use?
——————————————————————————————
Ed- line 6 bogner tube head, behringer cabs, gibson guitars, ghs strings, dunlop picks, monster cables
Ricky - peavy amps, schecter bass, dunlop picks
Cristian - shure microphones
Andy - fender amps, ltd guitars, d’ addario strings, dunlop picks
CJ - brotherhood drums, tama pedals, regal tip sticks, sabian cymbals
Mike - microkorg

OK, because Im a car guy as well, I gotta ask whats your dream car and what do you drive now?
——————————————————————————————-
Ricky has a 1998 mercury sable grandma car, thats what we roll in

Whats your favorite movie/ tv show?
——————————————————————————————-
Riki-oh!, family guy, transformers

What are some of your favorite foods and drinks?
——————————————————————————————-
The crappiest food you can get your hands on, energy drinks and pizza and chocolate donuts

Have you or your fans gotten hurt in a mosh pit?
——————————————————————————————-
ALL THE TIME they are crazy

What is something that you think everyone should try?
——————————————————————————————
Coming to a KTM show, wrassilin

What other bands have you played with?
——————————————————————————————-
Poison the well, Stick to your guns, Veil of maya, Impending doom, Winds of plague, Psyopus, Mouth of the architect, Endwell

What is the greatest experience youve had so far?
——————————————————————————————-
Playing a show in Pennsylvania

Have you ever forgotten lines to a song during a show?
——————————————————————————————
Yes sometimes

How did you cope?
—————————————————————————————— Keep playing, laugh it off…if you know you are the shit, everyone else will think so too, no one knows the mistakes you make

Who is the craziest fan you’ve had?
——————————————————————————————
All the ones that come to EVERYONE of our shows

Do you have any hobbies outside of playing music?
——————————————————————————————
Video games

How long have you been playing before being in the band?
—————————————————————————————— It ranges from 2 - 7 years

Do you have plans to tour in the future?
——————————————————————————————
YES PLEASE BOOK US

Click Here to check out Kills the Moment at Moshable

 enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor
amenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimb
oramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenji
mboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramen
jimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboram
enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor
amenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimb
oramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenji
mboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramen
jimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboram
enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor
amenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimb
oramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenji
mboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramen
jimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboram
enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor
amenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimb
oramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenji
mboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramen
jimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboram
enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor
amenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimb
oramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenji
mboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramen
jimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboram
enjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimboramenjimbor

What challenges are you up against being a solo artist?
—————————————————————————————–
I can’t play my music live. I guess I could, but would you pay to watch me
with a guitar and a laptop? Otherwise, I like having the control over every
step of the process. Of course, I’m a victim to my own lassitude.

How has being a music artist improved your life?
——————————————————————————————
Well, it hasn’t made it suck, so I guess that’s an improvement. Listening to
bands over the course of my life has affected who I am. I certainly hope I
never have that kind of effect on anyone. That shit is creepy.
*It’s also provided me with a great excuse to be a drunkard.

What influences your music?
—————————————————————————————–
Frustration. When life gives you an avalanche, music digs you out. It seems
the more unpleasant or unsettling my life becomes, the more prolific I get.
Conversely, my life was pretty good for a couple years and I didn’t write
shit. How would you rather live?

What has been your greatest experience as an artist?
——————————————————————————————
I loved being in a band. Playing shows in front of energetic crowds and
having cool practice jams come out of nowhere was something I am really
grateful to have been able to experience.The other side of that coin is the experience of writing a song, especially
a song that ends up being pretty decent. I guess I’ve tried to focus on that
lately. I’m trying to get my setup so that I can capture things as soon as
they come to me and not be stalled by having to patch stuff together.

What other bands have you played with?
——————————————————————————————
In my current incarnation: none I used to be in a couple of punk bands and we played with other area bands.
Punk sort of taught you that anyone could get up there and play. That’s a
wonderful thing.

Do you have other hobbies other than music?
——————————————————————————————
I have the blessing of being okay at a lot of things, but not excelling in
any. When I’m not using my computer for audio I like to photoshop my
friend’s heads onto stuff and mess with pictures of my dog. Right now it’s
winter in Chicago and I miss cooking on my grill.

Who has been your craziest fan?
——————————————————————————————
I’ve only had one person cyber-stalk me. But as anyone with a stalker can
tell you, one is enough.

Before you got into a band, did you start with other instruments?
——————————————————————————————
I started with guitar because there was one in my basement. I figured out
how to hook it up to my stereo and turn it up until it distorted. I was in a
two man punk band for half a dozen years and it was a great experience, some
of the best years of my life really. After that I got into computer based
recording and started trying to make myself sound like a full band. And
basically, I’m still trying. But along the way I also bought a bass and
played drums for a while in another band. I wasn’t much of a drummer, but
learning my way around a kit helped me learn how to use drum software
realistically.

 What do you think was your biggest mosh pit?
——————————————————————————————
I think the most intense pit I’ve played was about 40 to 60 people going
apeshit in Jose’s living room in Michigan City, Indiana. God I miss that
place. Sure, I’d love to play to a thousand people, but 40 people in a front
room is like a powder keg.

Anybody ever get hurt at one of your shows?
——————————————————————————————
Sure, myself included. I’d play shows where I was the only singer that
needed a mic stand because I was playing guitar too. It was very easy for
someone from the pit to crash into my mic stand and I’ve taken a SM58 to the
teeth a couple times.

Is there anything you would like your fans to know about that I havent asked?
——————————————————————————————
Google “Lisa McPherson”

Check Out Jimbo Ramens Page Here!!!!

Tell me a little be about yourself, Where your from, what got you into music, how long you’ve been writing music?
——————————————————————I’m a young upcoming artist from North West London and I’m just trying to prove to people that I can do something different than all the artists that sound alike. Writing is my thing. I start doing that when was like 12 or 13 and as you see I couldn’t stop I’m just trying to bring something new and unique into the game.

What challenges are you up against being a solo artist?
——————————————————————————————
It aint easy trying to make something out of nothing but I just do what I can and try to keep it professional.

How has being a music artist improved your life?
——————————————————————————————
I can’t say it has improved my life but it kind of makes me get away from the everyday struggle.

Do you have plans to take your music further and put out an album for your fans?
——————————————————————————————
Hell yea, that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment but first I’m gonna have to find me some good producer because as you know pimpin it aint easy this days.

What has been your greatest experience as an artist?
——————————————————————————————
The sharks don’t swim in aquarium.
(Didn’t know that was an experience now did ya)

What other bands have you played with?
——————————————————————————————
Dman, Marvin, Montana and some more goodfellas

Do you have other hobbies other than music?
——————————————————————————————
On the road side with some dro, E&J and just keeping my hat low and waiting for something to happen.
(What???)

Who has been your craziest fan?
——————————————————————————————
Everybody who listens to my music is going crazy if you know what I mean. (Cant say that I do)

Did you start playing music with any instruments?
——————————————————————————————
Not at all I’m just a poet that is trying to use his pen and paper.

What do you believe is the ultimate goal for you Julio Casper?
——————————————————————————————
Get a million…

What do you do when your not practicing do you; work? drink? tv? games? etc.
——————————————————————————————
I smoke a blunt write some more and I keep my work on 24/7 no time for playing games.

What is something that you think everyone should try?
——————————————————————————————
Just be yourself.

Now I gotta ask, how did you find our site and what do you like about it?
——————————————————————————————
I think someone on MySpace told me about it and when I check it out it was looking fresh so I got me a page in there.

What don’t you like, or something you would change?
——————————————————————————————
Keep doing your thing, it’s good that you are trying to help to some upcoming artists like me.

Something that I ask everyone is do you have a dream car, what is it?
——————————————————————————————
Definitely a Bentley.

What do you think was your biggest mosh pit?
——————————————————————————————
Oh, Fuck knows.

Is there anything you would like your fans to know about that I haven’t asked?
——————————————————————————————
Check me out on http://myspace.com/juliocasper
I’m coming up with a new style in the game so keep an eye on me and you won’t be disappointed I’m not one of the rest you hear and see around you is yaboi Julio Casper.
I’m for real…..

If you want to hear more from Julio Casper click Here

1. 1st off is there anything you would like to say about the band?
—————————————————————-
Mike: Definitely, to all of those who have never heard of us, we are Sight Unscene from San Diego, CA. We’re a 4 piece hard rock / metal band, started in 04, w/ this current lineup for 2 yrs. I’d like to introduce the band: Anthony Dedrick on vocals / bass, Tony (NoTime) LaMarra on lead guitar, John Jackson on drums, & myself Mike Halsdorff on guitar.2. What are your favorite bands and how have they influenced your music?
—————————————————————————————–
Anthony: If anyone has ever seen my right arm they would know Metallica is #1 in my book, Killswitch Engage is right up there, System, Pantera, Avenged 7X, Trivium, Mastodon, & Mudvayne. Chad Gray is one of my bigger singing influences. After I heard the first 2 Mudvayne CD’s I always wanted to be able to sing & scream like him. But it was Metallica that made me want to pick up a guitar. James Hetfield is right up there next to that one guy in my books, what’s his name…OH YEAH, God.
Tony: Lots of metal bands including: Metallica, Pantera, Staind, Avenged 7X, All that Remains, AIC, System, Slayer, Bullet for My Valentine, Thrice…any guitar driven music interests me. Dimebag got me to start playing & influenced my style the most; both Hetfield & Hammett, Hendrix, SRV, and some newer ones like Dragonforce have impacted me as well.
John: First and foremost Mudvayne, As I Lay Dying, Metallica, Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch, Deftones. A lot of those bands have technical drummers and I strive to play at the same level as they do while trying to keep a sense of originality.
Mike: No question about it, Metallica, but lots of others are very close: Staind, Stone Sour, Flaw, System, AIC, Killswitch, GNR, Mudvayne, maybe some Phil Collins. Metallica is the reason I picked up a guitar but when I write, I play what sounds good to my ears, I really try to not sound too much like the bands I like, but subconsciously those influences come through in my style, sometimes when I’m stuck I think, what would Hetfield or Mushok or Cantrell write for this part.

Now that you’ve read what they have to say Check Em’ out Here