If I had to name one band as being the most influential in my own creative journey, I could do it in about three seconds. I could tell you exactly which album pointed me towards heavy music. There were a few bands that caused me to turn down certain alleys when I was younger, but they really just kept me moving along a path. The Beatles made me love music, so there will always be an argument for them to wear the Crown in this discussion, and Rush, or more precisely Neil Peart was responsible for making me want to be a drummer. But lots of people who like music piddle at drums, or guitar or saxamaphone ( calling Homer Simpson ) without ever being passionate about playing or creating music. The band that hit me in such a way that I knew what I wanted to shoot for in my own music was Chicago's hidden treasure, Trouble. As luck would have it The Skull, which is comprised of Trouble's singer, bassist and original drummer, will be performing at the Day of Doom Festival the same night as Confessor. Not only that, but they will be performing the record that made me love heavy music and all of it's dark promise... the legendary "Psalm 9"! Will someone please pinch me?!?!?!
Playing in a band is pretty damned cool sometimes. I'd be lying if said that I didn't enjoy having lots of people explain that they have never seen another band quite like us, or that our music inspired them to see how far they could push themselves artistically. Their enthusiasm can be intoxicating. It's even cooler when you've traveled to some new place and hundreds of people have gathered to cheer you on as you play songs they've known forwards and backwards for years. I have never once been told at work to hop on a plane and travel to some far corner of the world so that throngs of adoring fans could pump their fists in the air while I perform amazing feats of manual labor. Once I was asked to autograph something while I was coming down off of a roof at work, but that was because a Confessor fan recognized me from the parking lot, not because I had just blown someone's mind by cleaning off the roof of their apartment in a way that made them think about ladders and blowers in ways they had never contemplated before. Music makes people love something, and love you for opening them to new experiences. Work does not.
