Saturday, April 13, 2019

Totally Possessed INTERVIEW

1.What is the name of your band and how did you come up with it? What is your name and what do you do for the band?

Our band name is Totally Possessed and I can’t remember exactly how it came to be. I believe it was already pre determined that it was going to be a 2 word band name. Only due to the fact that all the good single word names have pretty much been taken, then spelled differently and taken again! However The word possessed was like our tip of the hat to suicidal tendencies and Totally was just kinda thrown on the front because possessed is a sick band and we’re not trying to steal band names... and my name is Perry Sanchez and I play guitar and lead vocals

    Tell us where you are based and describe the scene. How do you think where you are located influences your sound? We are based out of New Orleans Louisiana and the thrash scene here is really small actually. There are definitely a handful of good thrash bands from here like morbid torment, A.R. 15, and satanic heavy drinkers just to name a few. And as far as our sound goes most people don’t think we’re from New Orleans, they think we’re from Southern California but that is mostly due to our lyrical content being about pro skateboarders from California or classic skatevideos based out of Venice.... Maybe aside from Exhorder and incubus (the metal band from New Orleans not the shitty pop punk band).
    Who influences your sound that would surprise people? 

Maybe it wouldn’t be much of a surprise considering we have the Dick Dale intro in one of our songs but definitely surf music. And me and the drummer John Wood have been on a funk kick lately like zap and Roger and Ronnie Hudson but that’s not necessarily an influence.
 

   Are you endorsed by any music companies.If so who and if not who would you like to be endorsed by. Well we’re not endorsed by anybody but the entire time I’ve played I’ve always had either an epiphone or a Gibson and just recently I got a Jackson as my practice guitar so I’ve actually been playing on the Jackson way more than my Gibson V.
    When you started what was your ultimate goal? And how close to the goal are you now? I mean not to sound cheesy but first it’s to have fun , and then if we can make money great , and then to go one step further if we can make a living off of doing it that’s even better but the second it’s not fun anymore I don’t think I could continue to do it.
    In today’s digital environment it takes strategy to keep things moving. What ideas do you have to keep your band relevant over time? Man, I’m not really that great when it comes to technology so basically I just try and emulate what I see other bands doing. Big or small, But it’s pretty standard stuff. make CDs, make T-shirts, play shows,  make digital profiles and hopefully go on tour soon.
    We’ve all seen a terrible live band that sounds awesome on CD.Is that fine with you Or do you lose respect for bands that cannot pull it off live? To be honest I think I could give them a second chance. because I know all too well about bad sets or just having an off night or whatever, 2 bad sets and then you’re probably just a shitty band and should maybe practice more.
    Tell us your “core” are you metal, punk, rock, pop, because people just have to categorize these days you now? We are thrash, straight up fucking thrash. or if you want to throw a skate on the front then yeah we’re skate trash.
    This is a tough question but a very real reality, is your band actually talented or just popular? Many bands make it with a cliché or Publicity stunt etc.Would you except fame just because of being that in thing or is it important to you to gain favor with talent. I’d like to say we’re okay... I mean we’re not the most shreddy or technical thrash band but we’ve had people that I respect highly and trust there opinion to not blow smoke up our ass that told us we sounded good. And “just good” coming from these particular people means a lot to me.
    Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and Bob their heads to Music nobody knows except for the band. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember? I’d have to say our riffs, I want every single riff I write to be stuck in your head. I just love catchy heavy FAST riffs! I try to make sure every single riff I write for every single song is one you can leave the show humming in your head.
    What releases have you put out? When will we see something new?

In 2016 the drummer and I released a five song EP that is still on band camp and YouTube , last year the three of us released an eight song LP that we’re actually going to add to, to make a full length, hopefully by the end of this year.
   

  If you have videos where can we see them? We do have videos and you can find those on YouTube Facebook and Instagram. However they’re not so much music videos but just our songs in video form. Aside from the occasional skate video or skate clip on Instagram.
    Everybody has been on bandcamp, reverb nation,Soundcloud etc. why do you think this is so important? Doesn’t it seem like everyone is giving everything out for free? I believe it is important because nobody knows who you are and just to get things out there that’s just the way things work now, and nobody is willing to spend money on a band that they don’t know anything about. Maybe aside from the rare occasion that I’ve bought a record based off of the album cover alone, which I totally did with aggravator from Texas. Sick album cover, sick name, rolled the dice and the album was fucking rad!
    Best moment of your career so far? 

 Best moment of our career so for, I’d have to say was opening up for D.R.I. ... twice actually. And on one of the 2 occasion being able to chill with those dudes after the show and chop it up about the show and how they are huge influences... and maybe sound like total nerds but.... worth it!!!
   

  Your message to the fans? Thank you to everybody who supports us, especially considering that the thrash scene in New Orleans it’s so small, the people who come out to all our shows are the coolest fucking people you’ll ever meet.
    Bonus question, who do you bring back? Dime, cliff, dio, Lemmy, randy. My first instinct is to say dimebag simply because I’m a guitar player and love his style but maybe I’d have to say Cliff because our music style Favors early Metallica. And think about what and justice may have sounded like with cliffs input....?


 

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