Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
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Hi Michael, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hey Vents! Thank you for having me! I am doing great. I moved to Las Vegas about a year ago & my life is one big party haha. I’m loving life in Vegas! I’m keeping myself busy with music & my events company “Come As You Are” events.
What made you guys team up again and bring back the band together?
I was really missing Vampires! It was my baby band & I was yearning to bring it back when the time was right. We had a rollercoaster ride of a time with Dead Girls Academy on Victory Records & I became extremely exhausted with the situation. I needed a giant breather / refresher to raise my vibration as an artist. Plus, I think the timing is perfect to bring the band back. People are way more accepting of makeup on men haha! I wanted to make sure the band came back with a strong nostalgia but still felt brand new to people that never heard of us. Rock n Roll can sound dated and that was my worst fear bringing back VE. So I added all sorts of fresh elements to the sound to keep it feeling 2021.
Has it been easier to gather amidst all the restrictions and what not?
To be honest I have not stopped grinding at all! I was able to record music, shoot music videos, throw events, & rehearse throughout this whole ordeal. Some people said I was crazy but without music I’m kinda dead to the world anyway. I have extreme OCD which in a way helped the situation more than it hurt it. I am looking forward to getting back on the road in October!
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “WITCH”?
I feel this song paved my way back into my old vampire self. It’s been a long time since I screamed that way & it felt really good to bring that part of my art back to the forefront. I wrote this song with my guitar player Craig Pirtle. We have a giant age difference between us, which really benefited the writing process on this song & the whole EP. I was able to toy with all the past VE nostalgia while he took a new age approach adding in hip hop beats and synth. I feel whole-heartedly we wrote a real album here. There was nothing forced or contrived and everything really flowed.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
The song is about a past relationship I had with a very toxic person. She consistently berated me and manipulated me. However, she was really good at making everything my fault. It felt amazing letting out some demons on this song. I tend to “indirectly” write my lyrics. I try not to force anything and let my heart type instead of my mind. It makes for a more personal real song people can relate too.
How was the filming process and experience behind the video?
I had the pleasure of shooting with Randy Edawrds for this project. Randy did an amazing job in the past filming a music video for Dead Girls Academy “Inside Out feat. Jinxx from Black Veil Brides” & I felt his style of editing was exactly what VE needed to step up its game! It was very important to me that the “New VE” was not fake in any way & really symbolized something people could relate too. The current environment of music is so different from 2010 & I knew VE had to come back swinging hard. I found an amazing peerspace studio in Las Vegas and we shot the entire video in 7 hours! Videos tend to be hard work but shooting with Randy is simple & very easy going. It makes the whole process more enjoyable & really allows me to focus on my art.
The single comes off your new EP The Awakening – what’s the story behind the title?
I felt it was highly appropriate to come up with a title that symbolized a rebirth of sorts. “The Awakening” seemed like the right word to describe the band coming back from a long sleep. I always felt like the band was on a long hiatus rather than broken up. I knew one day when the time was right I’d resurrect my old friend again.
So this is the first material from the band after a five years hiatus – how would you say time served as an advantage and in favor of this EP?
I was knee deep in with my other project Dead Girls Academy & it taught me so much over the last 5 years. I’ve learned how to compartmentalize the jagged pieces and move on with the pieces that fit. I learned that no matter how hard I try I couldn’t control every aspect of my career. I figured out how to be grateful for the small things. When you are in go mode it’s hard to see what’s right in front of your face. Now I’m stoked on the smallest pieces; instead of getting mad when the pieces don’t fit. VE will be a success because I love it & understand it alot better now than 10 years ago! I learned so much about writing & singing in the studio! I feel I’m more musically oriented now rather than visually oriented. I always put the craft before the image. This way the music can relate to a larger audience. If you hate the way I look…that’s fine! But you won’t be able to say the songs aren’t amazing. Because I know they are!
How was the recording and writing process?
I have a method to my madness! We wrote all the synth / beats first on this EP. I feel in today’s culture the “beat” is king! So we basically wrote dance songs first lol. I would write to the beats and then we would add the layers of guitars & Bass. It made the writing process less challenging because I wasn’t competing with conflicting guitars or drum fills. We recorded the entire EP in my home studio in Las Vegas. I decided to recruit my long time friend Matt Good to mix the EP. I feel he did a fantastic job! He finished everything in 1 week haha. He had no choice because he was knee deep into the new Asking Alexandria record. I had a fantastic time recording this EP!
Known for your affinity for everything horror – did any movies or other related things influence this album?
The 1987 cult classic film “The Lost Boys” always plays on my writing heartstrings when I’m writing a new album. I’m like a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Motley Crue, & Phil Collins all in one lol. I always look to the 80’s/90’s for inspiration! Movies like Fright Night, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Interview With A Vampire, Let The Right One In, & Salem’s Lot always give me so many ideas! I do my best to eliminate the cheese in my imagery but I can’t erase all of it haha. I just think I try my best to not come off as contrived and want people to understand this isn’t a hobby for me… It’s my everyday lifestyle.
Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
All of my lyrics come from my personal experiences! Whether it be social climbing, past relationships, or my battle with past addictions. I write everything from the heart. I refuse to put a fake story together and pretend. I’ve let people write for me in the past and even though I’m proud of those bodies of work; nothing is more fulfilling than writing all of your own lyrics with your own hand. This EP is no different. I must have needed a psychologist or something because once I started writing I could not stop! It just kept flowing out of me.
What else is happening next in Vampires Everywhere’s world?
We are currently gearing up to headline the CB Entertainment Stage at Inkcarceration Festival in Ohio Sept 11th w. Asking Alexandria, Mudvyne, A Day To Remember & more. Then we are heading into the wild for a giant US Tour in October. We will be releasing our next single September 10th on Cleopatra Records titled “Death Of Me” We also Plan to release our EP in October! We are very busy and I could not be more happy. I am excited for the future of Vampires Everywhere! Thank you for having me.
Watch the music video for “WITCH” here
