HEAVY AS A CHEVY

[From the Cleveland Scene.]

All sorts of companies are getting into the sponsorship game these days. From the Scion Rock Fest (a car company-funded free concert in Atlanta featuring Mastodon, Converge, Neurosis and other ultra-hip heavy acts) to Rockstar Energy Drinks’ support of the 2008 and 2009 Mayhem tours, everybody wants to sell stuff to metalheads. Now Atticus Clothing, a company that’s previously catered to the punk/alternative scene, has jumped into the ring with the Atticus Metal Tour, a ferocious road trip featuring Emmure, Terror, Winds of Plague, Abacabb, the Ghost Inside and All Shall Perish. We quizzed Emmure’s Frankie Palmeri, Winds of Plague’s Jonathan Cooke, Abacabb’s Tyler Greene and Terror’s Scott Vogel about various issues. Here are a few of their answers.

Are you the heaviest band on this tour?

Palmeri: Nope.
Cooke: Absolutely not. We tune in E standard, and Emmure tunes in drop-Z or something, so they definitely own on the heavy scale.
Vogel: No, I don't think we are. And that is not really what we are going for. But if you asked if we are the hardest-hitting band on the tour, well then, I think we are. Give me a few days and I'll know.

What's the best gig you've ever played, and are you returning there on this tour?
Greene: On our last tour, the best gig we had was Toronto. There was a huge attendance, and the entire crowd was very into it. Canada is just amazing, and yes, we will be returning to that city on this tour.
Vogel: I'd have to say Full Force Fest, two years ago in eastern Germany; 10,000 kids under a huge tent going buck wild, jumping off 15-foot-high poles they climbed. We are not returning there on this tour but will be there in early July.

What's the worst gig you've ever played, and are you returning to that city/town?
Cooke: We have had our fair share of bad shows. Phoenix on the Blackest of the Black tour was really bad for us. Not because of the crowd, but because of technical difficulties, and we had about a foot of room on the stage. I ran out onstage all pumped to find out my mic wasn't on. I felt like a jackass, and that carried with me throughout the set.
Vogel: Gainesville, Florida, at some tiny club like three years ago. Like 25 kids showed up. No energy. Bad vibe. Just one of those shows you wish was over before it starts. No, we aren't going back and haven't since. It's sad, 'cause one of my favorite bands ever, Hot Water Music, is from there.

Sometimes bands get on each other's nerves. Which of your bandmates are you sure you could take in a fight?
Palmeri: My guitar player, Ben. I am taller, and I can smell what he's thinking.
Vogel: We are banned from two shows on this tour, and a third threatened to shut us down. I can't talk about things like this. Bamboozle Fest is afraid of our reputation. I'm not allowed to use the F word. What a fucking joke.

If you could quit your band and join any other band, which would it be and why?

Palmeri: I would quit my band and join All Shall Perish, because Matt is a sweet dude.
Greene: I wouldn't quit to join another metal band. I would rather be in Cartel, Copeland or Mae. But if I had to choose, I would join the Ghost Inside because we listen to that band all the time in the van.

Do you personally wear Atticus clothing, and are you getting free Atticus clothing?
Palmeri: I don't personally wear any clothing. Atticus is gonna try and cover me in clothes, but they will be quickly removed.
Cooke: Yeah, I like their jeans a lot, and most of their new shirt designs are badass. I am very stoked to receive some new gear on this tour.

On a tour like this, is it possible to make extravagant demands for backstage luxuries, and what would you ask for?
Palmeri: I prefer a backstage with carpeting, fresh towels and an iPod dock. I don't make extravagant demands, because none of them would ever happen.
Greene: We are the opening band out of six; I'll be stoked if we get a bottle of water. However, if I was headlining, I would ask for some Chipotle burritos or something.
Cooke: We usually keep our demands pretty low and reasonable, because you're more likely to get a case of soda than two dozen red M&Ms or whatever else jackass rock stars put on their backstage riders.
Vogel: That's not really our style. Towels, water, Red Bull and vodka are all we really need. I'd rather have the money than a huge catering budget, 'cause in the end you're actually paying for all the stuff backstage.

Are you bringing pets, and if so, what's your most ridiculous pets-on-tour story?
Cooke: No pets! They turn into unnecessary hassle and stress. One tour we brought a mouse in a little plastic cage. By the end of the tour, we had five mice and some ridiculous cage with all kinds of tunnels and whatnot. We got tired of the smell and a lady from PETA bought them at our merch table. Good times.

What's your mom's favorite song by your band?
Palmeri: I'm surprised when my mom even remembers my band's name, so I doubt she has a favorite song.
Greene: My mom bought the CD, but I don't think she has ever listened to it.
Cooke: She has "The Impaler" and "Decimate the Weak" on her iPod workout playlist. She secretly enjoys us.
Vogel: My mom's into Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, not Terror.