PALM TREE DEATH INCIDENT
Interview By Metal Mike
METAL MIKE: Ok where are you guys from?
CHRIS: Desolation Tennessee in the northwest part, the Weakley/Carroll county area. Located slap dab in the middle of the bible belt. Where sports are the first priority and art is pushed to the waste side...
METAL MIKE: Where would someone from that area possibly find you playing?
CHRIS: Any and everywhere that they will have us. Which usually means we have to travel. We have had some love from some of the local clubs and pubs in the area such as, The Stables, Stage One, Pyro's Pub, The 3rd Floor. We will be on the Throwdown tour in Feb and kinda working our way around. It shouldnt be long before we show up in your own backyard...
JUSTIN: Anywhere and everywhere they let us through the door...
J: Yeah that about sizes it up anywhere and everywhere they will let us...
METAL MIKE: As I noticed the smooth transition of lyrics and music and especially how tight they fit together. I was wondering what some of your musical background might be? As there is without a doubt talent from top to bottom in your line up!
CHRIS: The minute I picked up a guitar (age 4), I was immediately hooked. I wrote my first song at age 12 and drums came around when I was 13 or so. Since then I have been in 17 bands and have wrote over 80 songs to date. We are all self taught by our idols of metal... While all the other kids were out playing sports and collecting cards, we were barracaded in our rooms developing our crafts.
J: I actually started playing violin believe it or not! I was in the youth orcviewthestra in school. As I started to grow into heavier music, my intrests moved towards playing drums. Thats where I met Chris, I moved on to guitar when I realized that Chris kicked my ass on the drums.
JUSTIN: I played in a few bands for fun that never amounted to anything.In my senior year in high school, I got together with a couple of friends in a band called Blunt, that needed a bass player. We lasted a little while, but we ended up dropping the band. A year or so later. PTDI was born out of the same members. We may have been the same people, but the band was totally different.
METAL MIKE: Who writes the music for your band? as well as the Lyrics?
CHRIS: Me and J write all the music and lyrics for Palm Tree Death Incident. Most of the time we write seperate from one another. But every once in awhile we will get together and do a joint peice. You know I have found alot thru the years that you can find alot of musicians, but not alot of writers. I guess that's why J and I have stayed together thru the years. It's always cool to find someone as sick and twisted as you. and when it happens it's priceless.
"But you know a song goes thru several changes from first draft to the last take on the album. And it really doesnt get it's shape until the whole band puts it's stamp on it."
All of Palm Tree's material is truly a joint effort.....
METAL MIKE: Where do you get the ammo or lyrics that drive your music to the shock level?
CHRIS: Reality. We write songs about real events. The songs we write about are no more shocking than the events themselves. We tend to write about things that other bands choose not to write about. While other bands focus on sad songs or happy songs.. or love songs. We made a promise along time ago not to sugercoat things, and sometimes it can have a shocking effect on people.
"There is alot going wrong in the world today and everywhere we look we are inspired to write. Basic freedoms are striped from us all on a daily basis. The world is in turmoil. writing songs thru the eyes of the villians has never been the popular road to travel down. Someone has to do it, so it might aswell be us."
J: True life man...the world around us . There is so much that is fucked up in this world.
METAL MIKE: What do you have to say to the industry and mags that consider your music too shock to do business with? And explain in you own words, your music to these people so they have a clue to what it is all about?
CHRIS: If you don't want to be shocked then go through your life with your eyes closed because the biggest "shock" is the world around you and the events that shape it. Again reality can be very shocking sometimes. I dont really feel we are shocking. We just write songs that tend to be on the bad side of real life. We are not trying to glorify Ted Bundy, but we realize that these things have happened. You know the world always tries to forget the bad things that have happened.
"Everyone tries to forget the past and go on with life. The songs we write just remind you when you're done listening to your pop album that these things have happened and the truth is that the world is still bad. You can't go on with your future until you understand your past."
METAL MIKE: How diverse are you all with the music you listen too?
CHRIS: We are a band that really does'nt like labels of music... we think that there are only 2 kinds, good music , and bad music. And we tend to listen to alot of the bad lol. Seriously We listen to alot of different kinds of music. Different music inspires you in different ways... and it truly is the art that pacifies us all.
J: I'm into everything from Sam Cooke to Slayer. I love it all.
JUSTIN: PTDI believes there is only two two types of
music, good and bad. We like to go back and forth between the two.
METAL MIKE: Any thoughts yet of a Video??
CHRIS: We are very particular about how we present ourselves. A Palm Tree Death Incident video would have to be a huge production and it would take alot of money. We invest all our money in the band, and unfortunantly there just isn't any extra lying around. We are thinking of doing a live dvd when we go out with Throwdown. That would be great for all the worms out there that live in some of the places we simply can't get to. It should be alot of fun...
J: We've got lots of big things on the horizon, and a video is certainly a possiblity, But for the moment we are focusing on the album.
METAL MIKE: Have you had any Live air-play yet?
CHRIS: Unfortunately living in the bible belt - radio stations don't get alot of requests for the filth we create. Radio is for pop and as most of you know we are pop's enemy #1. Besides...
"corperate radio controls everything we listen to anyways. Millions of dollars (daddy's money) have been invested to make sure you hear daddy's little girls's pop songs. The little man's voice has always been drowned out by the radio."
Our genre of music has always been persecuted by the airwaves. Metal in general has always been on corperate radio's black list. We are proud to carry the metal flag at whatever the cost. We will continue to push the envelope to any media that will have us and the ones who refuse will regret that they did.
J: We've had airplay previously with a live version of the song "Tool", and got a lot of great response from it. Which is kind of unexpected from a live track. As far as our new material, we would like to finish it up before we start pushing it to the radio.
METAL MIKE: When did you get bit by the bug that drove you guys toward your style of playing?
CHRIS: In the mid 80's when metal was still king. I had 2 older step brothers that were and still are for that matter huge metalheads. They always had all the posters and the magazines of all the metal gods wallpapering our bedroom which we all shared. They also had all the best thrash albums that were heard of. For me it was Death Angel's "Frolic Thru the Park." I remeber the first song was Thrashers. then when Anthrax came out with "Among the Living" I was instantly bit by the bug and have never been the same since. Alot of bands thru those years shaped me into what I have become today. But those are some of the first memories I have of thrash...
JUSTIN: I can remember being 6 or 7 years old and stealing my dad's old Megadeath tape. It was a recorded copy of Countdown to Extinction, that was of terrible quality. But as soon as I heard the first song I was hooked. I knew right then and there that metal was were my heart lies for the rest of my life. And that is all i will ever be interested in playing.
J: We all have different influences, but I think its a common love for the old school that drives us.
METAL MIKE: When can we expect a name on your new cd, and when can we find it in stores or online?
CHRIS: The truth is we feel like the album just isn't finished. We are trying to make a true Epic album that will stand the test of time. We want it to be as badass 20 years from now as it is right now. We are going back to the studio to finish it up, and we will name the album before it's completion. Hopefully it will be available online for purchase in the next few months. So make sure worms to tell evil santa to drop it in your organ bag.....
J: We are throwing around some Ideas. Honestly that will probably be the last thing that we do, name it, hopefully we will have it available for sale in the next few months.
METAL MIKE: Who was friend 666 on myspace for the record????
CHRIS: The lucky number 666 worm was Hiro Tanaka hailing from Japan. It was kind of flattering to know we had fans from 30 different countries. It was kinda nice to see America importing something to Japan for a change. When we finally get our chance to drop the bomb on Japan (no pun intended). They will be alot better off for it. Thrash on Hiro....
METAL MIKE: What is this about a one of a kind contest for the readers who dont know?
CHRIS: We sent a challenge out to all the worms in the world to send us the best reason they can come up with for us to play for them. and the winner gets just that. An intimate private concert for them at their own house. And it doesnt matter where they live or what they live in. If a homeless bum wins the contest we will set up for him on the side of the street and play. We have told them to send anything they want. Pics, letters, signs, and videos. We have been getting some truly original responses. The contest will be over Oct. 31 and the winner will be announced at that time. I just hope they can get the bloodstains out of the carpet. It would probably be good to have homeowners insurance too....
METAL MIKE: Just wanted to thank you for your time. I really appreciate the support and its bands like you , who stay in touch with the fans that make this really great. Keep Metal Alive and fuck those who dont like it ~ Metal Mike and The Montalian |