Interview with Mike D’Antonio (bassist/founder Killswitch Engage)

@ 6^th Annual New England Metal Hardcore Festival, Worcester, Massachusetts 5.16.03

MIKE D’ANTONIO:  amazing credibility

- Mark Curdo / bingeebonga

It was only prudent to speak with a person like MikeD from Killswitch Engage while we were standing outside an event he basically helped to structure when it comes down to it. It has been bands like his, past and present in the heavy music scene in Massachusetts that has helped to put the number six next to New England Metal  Hardcore Festival.  Without the groundwork ground laid out by Mike in his previous band Overcast (with current Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair) and other area heavy hitters; the Palladium in Worcester would be either shut down for the day or welcoming another forgettable emo pop punk tour. So, on a much acceptable sunny day in mid May, I caught up with Mike in glorious downtown Worcester to talk about an amazing and almost fatal year for his band Killswitch Engage.     

_______________________________________________________________________

MARK CURDO: Mike, sincere congrats on an amazing time for you all. This past year has been something special I would imagine.

MIKE D’ANTONIO: It’s been so exciting and we just couldn’t believe all the cool stuff that’s been happening. We’ve basically seen the world at this point. We’ve been to Japan twice. We’ve been in the UK. We’ve toured Europe…. mind blowing. I never would have had the chance to do this in my entire life had it had not been for my new job! (proud laugh) It’s just mind blowing that something like this could happen. I was in Overcast for seven years and the most we ever did was tour the States and I thought THAT was even cool. All of a sudden now I’m taking flights to friggin’ Japan. It’s just awesome. The Ozzfest thing now is just the icing on the cake.

MC: Do you have an idea on the formula for this success? Something just click at the right time? Was it the label? What do you credit this overdue success to?

MIKE: It had a lot to do with the label. I started the band with Adam, who was playing drums at the time and when we played together something happened that was unexplainable. He knew exactly what I wanted to do and I knew what he wanted to do. It’s like that chemistry was there that you hardly ever get when you play with another person. It just sparked and then things steam rolled from there. We sat down and looked at the labels that were interested then we asked ourselves what can we do to make this our full time job and not have to work a regular job again. Roadrunner was the answer with all the clout that they have and the marketing they can do. It was a win, win situation. We felt like we were walking on eggshells the whole time because we were aware they were considered a shady label and had done some pretty wacky things to bands in our genre, but we were like fuck it! Let’s try it for a year and if it doesn’t work out, at least we tried it. Now it’s a year later and we’re so excited things are rolling like they never were before.

MC: Any regrets at all? Do you miss the freedom and control of the independence you maintained for so long; considering now you are part of a well known label which is part of a colossal machine (Universal)? Any regrets at all? Do you miss anything?

MIKE: No. (answered quickly) (laughs) The thing about Roadrunner is there are some really great guys working there. A lot of the people that worked there had no idea about this Nickleback stuff and this radio friendly stuff that Roadrunner was eventually turning towards. So when a band like us, which was pretty much Roadrunner’s last chance to do anything with metal, when we came to that label, we immediately got taken under everyone’s wing. Like everyone was finally excited that ‘here’s this metal band, finally! We’re going to work you as hard as we can’.  It’s great to be a guinea pig like that. We said lets just try it. We just closed our eyes signed the deal and now great things are happening.     

MC: So a continued future with Roadrunner is to be expected?

MIKE: Yeah. We signed a deal for so many records that we’re never going to be off Roadrunner at this point unless they get tired of us.

MC: Well Roadrunner is definitely maintaining credibility with bands like you cats and Chimaira. Bands that aren’t gimmicky, but bringing it back to heavy music.

MIKE: Yeah, well, it seems like they’re doing a 180’ and signing more metal bands. There are a few bands I’m not sure I should mention, but anyways, yeah, they are for sure moving back towards the metal field. Back towards the thing that made Roadrunner the label that they are, which is killer! They’re still signing one hit wonders and radio bands, but as long as they have a solid metal back bone I don’t think they can do much wrong.

MC: Just as things were kicking and in the ball got rolling in a BIG way, you had a major line up change with Jesse leaving and Howard coming in to front the band. He seems to be so right on with it, like he always belonged there, but was the transition tougher since you were hitting a high point at that time and certainly not in need of slowing down?

MIKE: Yeah man, it was an extremely scary situation and very few bands can survive a singer change. We just happened to get a call from Howard and I had known Howard from his other bands and of course from his band now, Blood Has Been Shed. He was a friend of mine for a long time and I knew he could pull it off. Immediately after he called me, I called the other guys in the band and I was like ‘get this guy in to do an audition cause I can tell he’s going to be the number one guy to do this’. You know, if we were going to pull this off, it was going to be with this guy. We had already had a couple of tours set up so we were stranded on what to do.  Howard rolled in and two weeks later we were back out on the road.

MC: Two weeks? That’s fantastic!

MIKE: Yup. Everything was pretty much just as good as it was before. The thing was with Jesse was, he had enormous vocal problems. We had him go to see many coaches to try and alleviate some of the throat issues he had. He kept blowing his voice out after three or four shows and we had to cancel to some shows and that’s really no way to tour.  To be a professional band, we knew there were going to be some kind of crossroads that would have to be reached if we were to continue with Jesse. All of a sudden he quit. So then we were like alright, let’s try and do this the right way now. Lets’ get someone in there that can do a full set. We were only doing like five songs, maybe ten minute sets with Jesse, which is now way to tour, especialy when you’re on a label like Roadrunner. Now with Howard, he can do an hour and a half set every night. His voice never teeters. He’s just dead on with his vocals and it was a blessing.          

MC: So we’re here at the 6^th New England Metal Hardcore fest and it’s a busy scene. Lots of kids, lots of media coverage, lots of everything going on. Talking about New England and specifically the Massachusetts metal scene – what do you have to say about your place in all of this and in the “movement”. What you’ve helped to build with those bands that have been doing it so well for so long now.

MIKE: A lot of people are asking me what’s going on with all these metal bands coming out of Massachusetts all of a sudden? I’m like dude, where were you ten years ago! This is not a brand new thing by any means. People have been struggling here to get noticed and with the breakthrough of Hatebreed, now everyone is noticing, but this is stuff people have been doing for a while now.  As far as our place here, we love it here. We love that things are working out here. It’s about time.

MC: I’m sure too many people are tired of hearing about Aerosmith as the only band representing this area.   

MIKE: I know.  It’s like Only Living Witness? Come on! Like five years ago, one of the best bands ever.  Hardly anyone knows about them at all.

MC: Talk about what’s coming up with the Ozzfest Tour. That’s gotta be a treat.

MIKE: Yeah, we’ve got that coming up real soon. We’ll be on the second stage, the “Hot Topic Stage”.

MC: Ahh, does that mean if you bring in your ticket stub to any participating “Hot Topic” you get 10% off a Killswitch shirt? Or is that only good for Ozzy shirts?

MIKE: I don’t know (laugh). They should do something like that. But it should be a blast.  We’ll be

out with Shadows Fall, Sworn Enemy, Cradle of Filth and our buddies Hotwire.  It should be totally insane! I guess the guys from Shadows Fall are buying one of those fenced in gazebos and a little plastic pool to keep the beer in. That’s where we’re going to be most of the time.

MC: You’re going out with friends, real friends, local friends – that has to be special Mike?

MIKE: Hell yeah. Another plus is on the off dates we’re doing shows with Cradle of Filth, Shadows Fall and Sworn Enemy. 

MC: Smart people are more excited with the Second Stage with that tour anyways. So that’s a good thing. That Second Stage is what Ozzfest SHOULD be about. It’s more real, more honest. You get what you pay for I guess. So, after that fun this summer, what are we looking at for a new record Mike?

MIKE: We have been writing. We just came out of the studio yesterday with four demos. Everything is going well. It’s heavier than the last stuff and more melodic at the same time. It’s going to be a lot catchier. We’re not going to bow down to any time constraints. The records going to be done when we say it’s done and not when Roadrunner says it’s going to be done.

MC: What is it with Japan?

MIKE: I don’t know dude, but they are just so respectful. Crowd applause, then silence when you start to play. They’re just really cool, cool. (pause, turning around) Hey, my guys are here.

MC: Don’t let me stand in the way of preparing to rock Mike. Congrats on what’s happening and best of everything for what’s to come for you all. 

MIKE: Well thank you. Thanks a lot.