Winds of Plague interview w/ Art and Johnny
Miranda: My name is Miranda and I'm sitting outside Aaron's Ampitheatre with Winds of Plague's Art and Johnny.
Winds Of Plague: Yes, Ma'am! Hi, it's sticky!
Miranda: So how is the festival going?
Johnny: It's pretty unreal it definitely is. You know, it's awesome bands and tons of people and it's a good time. We're just sweaty people.
Miranda: So how did you guys come up with the name "Winds of Plague"
Johnny: It was back in like 2004, 2005, we were signing to a smaller label called Life Sentence Records and we really need a new name because the one we currently had at the time was copyrighted. That's right when the "Endless EP" was coming out by the band Unearth, and I happened to be reading through the lyrics and I saw "Winds of Plague" and I was like "Ah, that's really cool." So I got in touch with their singer, Trevor, and he granted us permission to use the name.
Miranda: My hair stylist knows Trevor!
Winds of Plague: Aww yeah! Good guy. Does he get his hair done by your hair stylist? I'm sure he does...
Miranda: I don't know, but they know eachother. So who did your album art?
Winds of Plague: This wonderful man named Par Olofsson, he's from some European country that I can't remember but he did this one, he did our last one, and he also has done the new one that will be coming out soon. Amazing.
Miranda: So this is from my camera guy, he listened to your album. He goes, "Who's this person that does the introduction for "The Great Stone Door?"
Johnny: He was my high school English teacher. Father Croning, is his name. He's this old Irish priest guy. I Came up with the idea "Oh, it would be cool to have some sort of narration, and he was the first person that came into my head. He a really cool, like, old man voice. We asked him and he was more than willing to do it and it worked out great.
Miranda: So did you go to him and say "Hey, remember me? Can you come do something for me?"
Johnny: It wasn't even that, I just emailed him. So he's probably like "Who's this again?" He probably didn't realize it was until he showed up.
Miranda: "So this is what you're doing with your life now, son?"
Miranda: Okay, for Art: Do you have any tips for people trying to learn the drums and building up their speed? I know you're a teach of some sort, aren't you?
Art: Yeah, sort of. I started doing these little series online but speed you've gotta start slow I would imagine. That's what I've been told from people that are a lot higher up than me, and people have told them the same thing. You can't really rush into anything because you can't just try and be fast overnight. Just warmup, do everything slow and then just work your way up with the metronome every other day. That's how I do it.
Miranda: This is for you, Johnny. How do you keep your voice from going out? For the way you sing, all growly and screaming? How do you just keep going? How do you keep it?
Johnny: It's like one of those things, the same way you build up your endurance. The more you do it, the more you practice, the stronger your voice gets. The more it lasts. The only things I've noticed that really effect me are cigarrette smoke. Like in clubs, it just thrashes me to the point to where I can't do it and it's like painful.
Art: That's all of us. That sucks.
Johnny: And when you get sick. That's miserable too. I think the cigarette smoke's worse than being sick, actually.
Miranda: Yeah, I can understand that. Sucks. I like it now that you can't smoke in most places
Johnny: Yeah there's still a few places that aren't quite, ah, current on the times here, but they're getting there.
Miranda: So what's any major differences between playing shows in Japan, Europe, and the States? Are there any differences?
Johnny: Yeah it's like their different worlds basically
Art: So much. It's like you're in a videogame some times. That's how I see it just cause everything is so different.
Miranda: Like a different level?
Johnny: Their cultures really bleed over into the shows. Like Japan is very... the culture is built on respect and I think that comes in. Everybody is very respectful, very appreciative that you're there, and they have a good time at the shows. There's no violence, there's nothing like that. And then you know, Europe, each country in Europe has almost a different feel to it, all the people are different. I don't know it's cool to experience that. You can go to countries, like, as a tourist, but you don't get the same effect as if you go and are meeting all these different people on an intricate level.
Miranda: How would you describe your show to someone that's never been to one of your performances? If you could give them a small visual of what they would experience?
Johnny: You've gotta come to our show. Be prepared to get involved. We would like to get everybody that comes to the show into it and to have fun and to let loose and to have a good time. and let your worries go at the time and just focus on the moment.
Miranda: Just be prepared to have a lot of fun!
Johnny: If you don't you're to be one of those people that will go and jump off of the stage, if you come to our show, you probably will be that person.
Art: That's happened before. Kids are like "I've never jumpped off a stage but I had to!" It's awesome.
Miranda: So you'll experience new experiences
Johnny: Yes, exactly!
Miranda: How do you prepare to play a show live? Is there any rituals as a vocalist or a drummer?
Art: I warm up some times but lately I haven't been for some reason. Kind of just going in with a "No worry" set of mind and just going in and having fun.
Johnny: Now it's at the point to where I almost feel like I have a switch. I'll find a few seconds before we walk out on stage and then have that switch go, and just get focused on what we're doing. That's about it, really. No real warm-ups. I dunno. It's just second nature now, almost.
Miranda: It's like you just roll out "Okay, gotta go to work! Gimme my shoes!"
Winds of Plague: Yeah, pretty much.
Miranda: Final question, any message for your fans?
Johnny: Thank you so much for everything, for your support. We fully understand that without you guys, we're nothing. We're here for you as much as you guys are here for us!
Art: Definitely. Come out to a show, man!
Miranda: And experience the unexpected?
Johnny: Just jump off of a stage!
Art: Jump on somebody!
