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Rock Band DAMONE
Willing and Ready to Rock a Town Near You.
Where did the name Damone come from, I had heard it was taken from
the character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is this true?
MW: It's a character from the movie Fast Times At Ridgemount High, Mike Damone.
How has life changed since signing to a major record label such as Island Def Jam Music Group?
MW: It's changed quite a bit for me personally. The band was already signed to RCA records when I was brought in to the picture, but after completing Out Here All Night we made the switch to Island/Def-Jam. I guess the biggest change for me is playing music for a living. The constant traveling is also a bit different, but being signed to Island has also made our music much more accessible.
Do you think the record label has more say in what Damone does since signing?
MW: Not at all. The band and the label are usually on the same page. Island let us continue to record the album at Noelle's apartment in Boston, without a producer, or any other outside help... so that says quite a bit to me.
How would Damone define success?
MW: We all have our own different definitions, but mine would be the ability to support myself doing this. Maybe that and like 4 or 5 Grammy awards.
What is the typical Damone fan base and what do your fans mean to you all?
MW: Our fans are the reason we do this, and they vary in types. We get a lot of people who really just like music, and with in that comes the older people who are reminded of the "golden age" of metal, and the young kids who are just desperate for something new. You know, rockers of all types and sizes.
What can fans expect new music from Damone?
MW: We're working on it. I only hope that's it different. That's all I'm saying.
What is a typical Damone concert like?
MW: It's a big party, hosted by us, every time we're in your town. If you don't leave feeling better than you did coming in... then you weren't really there dude.
What is the worst part of touring? What is the worst part of not touring?
MW: The worst part is of touring is constantly being on the move and not getting a lot of sleep. The worst part of NOT touring is having to deal with the reality of everyday things.... you know... life.
Favorite location that Damone has toured at this point?
MW: Almost every city has something great about it. We've been lucky enough to see all of the US a few times, Japan, Canada, and most of Europe. I'd have to say that it's always pretty cool to be here in Europe. It's similar enough to America that you don't feel like an outsider, but on the other hand there are a lot of cultural differences that keep it interesting.
I notice that there has been a lot of overseas concert lately, can fans expect a states tour soon?
MW: Well I'm actually in London now because we're in the process of releasing "Out Here All Night" here soon... and hopefully it sticks. We most likely won't be doing another US tour before the release of our next record.
What is one of the funniest things that has happened during a performance to you?
MW: Once our guitar tech, Blake, chased Butch Walker around on stage with nothing on but a pair of tighty whities, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. That was pretty great. On my Birthday, the Pink Spiders dudes smashed a cake in my face while I was doing a guitar solo... I dunno. I guess that most of the time it's all pretty funny to me in general, like... just going all over, being stupid.
What made you want to start your own side project?
MW: The ~MW~ stuff definitely isn't a "side project". I've been writing and recording songs in my bedroom for years on this Boss Digital 8-track. The whole Damone record was also pre-demoed on that same little machine. All of the music that is available on itunes now are songs that I recorded in my room after work, or during any free time I had. They're very personal to me, and on the myspace page I've included little stories and lyrics from each track.
Like in the Twisted Sisters video for I wanna rock, the father asks the son what do you want to do with your life, and the son says "I wanna rock", was there a defining moment like that for you when you decided being a musician was what you were meant to do?
Like in the Twisted Sisters video for I wanna rock, the father asks the son what do you want to do with your life, and the son says "I wanna rock", was there a defining moment like that for you when you decided being a musician was what you were meant to do?
MW: Absolutely! I grew up in a small town that basically frowned on the idea of "wanting to rock!" But I clearly remembering watching the Motley Crue video for Home Sweet Home and saying to myself, "Yup. That's it. THAT is what I'm going to do." Those dudes seemed to be having all the fun, getting all the girls, and looked pretty damn cool doing it. I actually got to meet Nikki Sixx in Nottingham yesterday and it was pretty damn surreal. It was like meeting Homer Simpson or something because these guys were virtually comic book characters in my eyes, so to physically talk to them as people was kinda strange. Ya know?
When you write a song is there a ritual that you do, such as eating dry roasted peanuts or having a low fat java chip frappuccino at Starbucks to give you special powers?
MW: Haha. No. It's just something that I HAVE to do - sometimes to the point of driving me crazy. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night with an idea... then I'll sit there till the sun comes up trying to put it together. As cliche as it sounds, it's just another form of expression. When I have something to get off my chest, it usually ends up in the form of music. That's about it really.
I know that you have released your songs on i-tunes, has this helped you to get recognition as a solo artist?
MW: It's hard to tell. I just put those songs up there because it was the easiest way to share them with the people who were asking to hear it. I don't have the time or money to sit there and burn CD's then mail them to everybody. A lot of those songs are some of the best I've ever written, and I hated the fact that no one could hear them. I really needed another way to let people know that they're out there.
What do you think it takes in today's society for a band to get noticed?
MW: Ahhhhhhh.... we talk about this subject all the time. Who knows. Nowadays anybody can make a record on Garage Band at home, then make a video on their computer, and go tour on it. There is SO much music being thrown at us today, and I think people naturally tend to just ignore it. It's not special to be in a band or to get signed anymore. Record companies are putting out THOUSANDS more records a year than they used to, the internet makes it possible to hear or even download the music for free, the kids are all divided into a million little sub-genres, and each one is against the other. Like, "What? No way man! That band sucks! I'm only into post-hardcore-electro-trance-hip-hip-emo-thrash-metal! NOT that Goth-indy-scremo-hardcore-post-punk-rap-psychobilly-pop crap!" I don't get it. It used to be like, "Yeah. We're rockers, not jocks." That's it. AND... you WANTED to see your favorite bands succeed. That's a whole other thing. Nobody in Boston rallies behind the Red Sox until they make it to the playoffs and then say, "Man... the Red Sox suck now! I used to be into them... but they TOTALLY sold out!!!" So to answer your question... I still don't know. Good luck man.
Would you want to sign to a record label solo if given the opportunity?
MW: Well, technically... I'm not sure what kind of politics are involved with me putting out solo stuff... but if the opportunity presented itself, I'd think about it. Right now I enjoy writing with Damone, and writing with other artists when I have the chance to.
What is your outlook on record labels personally, do you think they are a dying practice or there to help?
MW: t's almost the same answer as the previous one. Almost anyone can "start their own record label". We're musicians, and musicians need business minded people to make the music available. You need to have a force behind the band to keep you on the road. I think that the idea of selling records is dying out, so another form of "selling music" will start to take shape soon. Music will always be a very important of our society, so there will always be a market for it in one way or another. We've had good luck with our label though, so I've got no complaints there.
What are some of the bands that have personally influenced you?
MW: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Charlie Parker, Motley Crue, Blur, Fishbone, Radiohead, Jay-Z, Prince, Guns n' Roses, Steely Dan, Weezer, Van Halen, Miles Davis, Supergrass... the list goes on...
Do you write most of the songs that you sing?
MW: All of them. Except for a version of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Which isn't available anywhere but my ipod).
Anything you would like to include that I haven't asked you?
MW: Well... not really. Thanks for caring and keeping the music alive.
Check out more on Damone at
http://www.myspace.com/damone
and also more on Mike Woods other music ~MW~ at http://www.myspace.com/scienceandmovies
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