Chad Bowar: How did the band form?
Michael Vampire: The band was formed in 2009 in Los Angeles. I was looking for
the right group of guys who believed in my vision. I wanted to start a band that both inspired
me and motivated me. By chance I ran across Aaron Graves and Zak Night in Hollywood. I
remember sitting down with them at the Coffee Bean on Sunset and Fairfax and posing my
question, “ Do you guys like the movie The Lost Boys?” It all spawned from that moment amd
our lives changed drastically after that discussion.
We later recruited J_Killa for the keyboard/synth position. I had met J_Killa months before the Coffee Bean meeting in Hollywood, while his old band was on tour. He struck me as an awesome guy and his skills on the keys were amazing. So there was no question he was the right fit. We rounded out the lineup closer to recording “Lost In The Shadows” with Alexander and David. I knew both of these guys from past projects in Florida. Both Alexander and David toured nationally and have amazing chops, so it was a no brainer to allow them access into our dark world. We had some minor kinks along the way, but this is the lineup that felt right and the one I felt most comfortable with.
How would you describe your sound?
I would describe our sound as a blend of hardcore, screamo, dark pop and dance. We didn't want to stick with one thing and be stigmatized by that our whole career. So we took all of our favorite genres and fused them together. I have played in many bands, and this is the only band I have ever played with that could pull such a feat off and make it sound good. I feel lucky to be playing with these guys.
The vocals are very distinctive, and not the normal metal/hard rock style with the
processing. How did the idea to use that style come about?
This is one of my favorite questions and one that I am asked a lot. In order to blend dance successfully and distinguish it from the other styles we are incorporating, we blended our own style of vocal processing, of which I cannot reveal. I can say it wasn't easy to do. People love to stigmatize us for using this vocal combo, but I just feel it fits with what were doing at this point. On the full length coming out later this year there will be a ton of vocal diversity for fans and haters to choose from.
How did you come to sign with Century Media?
After our video and album started to accumulate attention online we were bombarded with offers from different record companies. When CM came knocking we took it seriously and met up with them at Canters Deli on Fairfax in Hollywood. Since they were local it wasn't hard to arrange a meeting quickly. I remember being contacted by A&R guy Mike Gitter, who wanted us to meet the very same night they found our video online. It was exciting being contacted by the guy who is responsible for so many amazing bands.
After we talked with CM for a couple of hours we knew they were the right fit. CM has major history as a label and spawned some of the best metal bands in the world. We felt it would be so gangster to be part of a label with so many dark and evil bands. A week later we played for some of the CM team including President Don Robertson in our Lockout in North Hollywood, and the rest is now history. We are super happy to be part of the Century Media family of artists.
What's the timetable for your full-length CD?
We're hoping to have something out later this year. We are demoing every day and there's so much material pouring out of us. We are super amped to jump into the studio and lay it down.
How was the video shoot for “Immortal Love”?
The video shoot went amazing! Our director
for the video Scott Hansen is an amazing guy and he really understood our vision. We flew
from Baltimore to Florida, and from Florida to Virginia to make this video happen. As luck would have
it, a cold wave hit the state a day before we arrived. So moving around outside turned into an
obstacle. However, we all pulled through to make an amazing video. I am super proud of this
video, and it took me a week to write the storyline of which Scott later collaborated on in Virginia.
Have you played many live shows yet? What are your upcoming tour plans?
We plan on
hitting the road in July. We are keeping the lineup under wraps until things are 100 percent solidified.
We have been asking fans who they would like to see us with and it has helped us a lot. As far
as live, July will be our first shows in front of fans. We are super amped for this tour.
