| Travis |
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| Written by Travis |
| Saturday, 21 November 2009 00:52 |
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Influences: There are a lot of bands who have influenced me over the years. Crowbar, Carcass, Death, King Diamond, early Sepultura, Celtic Frost, Possessed, Venom, Slayer, Overkill, Forced Entry Eyehategod and S.O.D. were my biggest metal influences. On the punk side, I was heavily influenced by Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Cro-mags, old Agnostic Front, Gorilla Biscuits and Bad Brains.
Previous Bands: When I was in high school, I played in a couple punk bands, but nothing ever really came of them. In 1996 I joined up with 454 as their vocalist. I was with them untill around 2001. After that I played guitar for the death metal band D.O.C. which featured former members of Forthcoming Brutality. After that fell apart, i fell out of the scene for a while, but returned in 2005 to be the vocalist for Six Steps South. That was the band that led me to Download. Best Experiences: I would have to say playing the Lunatic Luau. Just to be able to play in front of such a large and disorderly audiences was a dream come true. It was great to see such a positive reaction to our music. I'm ready to do it again next year, haha. Outside of music, I would have to say coming home after being away for a long time. My time in the military has made me appreciate my home, family, and friends.
Funniest Mishap: Probably when I was in 454, I was a little drunk when we played our first show at Connie's. I ended up throwing up while we were on stage. I felt so bad that when the waitress showed up with the mop to clean it up, I told her that I'd do it. I was cleaning up my mess while I was still singing the song. It was embarrassing, but after the show and days later, people were telling me that it was awesome. It's probably one of the most metal thing's I've ever done, haha.
Equipment: I have a Jackson King V guitar, an old Ampeg VH140C Solid State amp with Marshall cabinets. I'm not a big effects guy. The only pedals I use is a Boss noise gate and a tuner. I use Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom strings. To me they are the perfect guage range for our tuning which is dropped C. Hobbies: Besides playing music, I like watching sports. Especially football and baseball. Obviously, I'm a Raiders fan, haha. My baseball team is the Boston Red Sox. I've been a Red Sox fan since a was a little kid.
What Got You Into Heavy Music: My mom and my uncle listened to a lot of '80's metal when I was a kid, so I was around it all the time. I was really into Van Halen and Iron Maiden when I was in grade school. By the time I was in the 5th grade I was listening to Metallica, Anthrax, and Suicidal. I was skateboarding a lot, and a lot of my skater friends were what got me into a lot of the punk and crossover stuff like ST and DRI. Later on in middle school I was getting into a lot of the Tampa death metal bands like Death and Obituary. What Else Do You Listen To Besides Heavy Music: I'm big into blues like B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and SRV. I also listen to old outlaw country. Guys like Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Sr, Jr, and III. Old school rap is also one of my favorite types of music. Public Enemy, Run DMC, NWA and Wu Tang still find their way in my cd player. I'm not one of those metal heads that refuse to listen to other types of music. I listen to a bit of everything.
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