Searching for black dahlia with Astrovamps

This is the tale of Astrovamps, the american deathrock phenomenon.
SirJohnTalbot had to opportunity to talk to them about
music, life and beyond life, let´s see what they had to say...

Greetings, who am I speaking to?

EYAJO: To the wicked witch of the West.

DANIEL: Daniel Ian Essex-Singer

GLASS: I'm glass. This is my friend, Tongue Tongue.
Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from Tongue
Tongue - he's only tasting you. But likewise don't
resist for he can crush you quite easily.

TOE KNEE: My moniker is Toe Knee.I perform backwards
drums and minor miracles in Astrovamps

GRIM: GRIM DE LA NOCHE.

How did you end up with the name Astrovamps?

DANIEL: It was a song on the 1st album we ever did
(Savage Garden)

Describe your sound to our readers

DANIEL: Let's see, Punk meets Metal meets Glam meets
Goth meets Horror movies, meets Porno! put them All
together and you get DEATH ROCK!!

EYAJO: We are a Death Rock band, that also mixes
touches of Bat Cave, Goth, Punk, Dark Glam, and Rock
into our sound.

TOE KNEE: I would call it a calculated and conducive
mixture of Goth,Deathrock and Synthetic/Poetic
orations mixed with smatterings of Psychobilly and
Punk.

GRIM: The best DEATH ROCK you've ever heard.

How old were you when you started to write music?

EYAJO: I started writing poetry and Lyrics in middle
school, but it wasn't until my freshman year in High
school that i started to teach myself the keyboards.

DANIEL: When I was in High school. thats when I picked
up the guitar and started to play, I was about 17.

GLASS: I was a kid, really. Probably around eight.

TOE KNEE: I believe i was borne from the womb to
create.I just needed maturity in mind and physicality
to fully realize the artform.

GRIM: Me, personally 13 years old.

What influenced you to make music such as Astrovamps is?

DANIEL: Living in Hollywood and listening to an
eclectic mix of different Rock genres. Most kids when
they start to listen to a certain type of Rock they
tend to stay within that style and don't allow
themselves to listen to anything else. but there is 50
years of Rock music and a plethora of styles to listen
to, I Listened and collected rock from the 50's, 60's,
70's and 80's. The 90's did not impress me much. And
of course being a big fan of Horror and porn
influenced me as well. It's all in there.

EYAJO: Lyrically, I'm influence by the great and
Classic poets, both old and new. I'm also Lyrically
influenced by, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Simon Le
Bond, Martin Gore, Nick Cave, etc. Musically i'm
influence by, (rozz)Christian Death, (old)Gene Loves
Jezbel, Bauhaus, Joy Divison, Skinny puppy, Specimen,
(old)Duran Duran, Flesh For Lu Lu, Sisters of Mercy,
New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, Stars from Mars
and Bowie(Ziggy Stardust)

TOE KNEE:I have a strong and lingering background in
Glam and Goth therefore the band was a perfect choice
for me when offered the chance in the dark ages of
anno 1993.

GLASS: I pull influences from punk, metal, rockabilly,
glam... I listen to a wide variety of sounds.

If you would run your own TV station, what would you broadcast?

DANIEL: HA, thats easy HORROR and PORN!

EYAJO: I would start a Horror movie production
company, then make my own Horror films and show them
in heavy rotation on the TV station.

GLASS: Horror movies, mostly the terrible ones from
the 80's, followed by episodes of The Simpsons, Six
Feet Under, The Young Ones, and Tales From The Dark
Side, etc.

TOE KNEE: 24 hours of Various Horror movies,Poetry
readings,Metal,Goth,Punk and Glam videos as well as
ASTROVAMPS ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!!!

GRIM: Porn.

What makes a perfect day?

EYAJO: to have my son with me and spend it with my
girlfriend, then write some poetry and play an
ASTROVAMPS concert at night. And after the show
fucking my girl friend in the ass...That would be a
perfect day.

DANIEL: A good meal, a good nap, a good book and a
real good Fuck! (a girl with big tits being a must)

GLASS: Sleeping in, then getting oral sex, then going
back to bed. Then waking up, drinking a great cup of
coffee with a vegetarian breakfast, while reading a
great book. Then of course playing a wild show and
drinking all night with the fans.

TOE KNEE: Any day that is void of human life.Hmmmm..i
guess no day is really perfect then, is it?

GRIM: Being able to play music, having a smoke and a
shot.

I remember reading some interview where you stated that you have a soft spot for Catholic school girl look and horror movies, what are your favorite horror movies?

EYAJO: yes that was me, the school girl look is Hot
and my complete weakness when it comes to women. My
girl friend is from Puerto Rico, but when she first
flew to Los Angeles to see me, she was wearing a
japanese school girl uniform. Oh my God! You should
have seen her it! But yeah, the School girl look is
HOT! I like all the old Black and White monster films
and my favorite to this day is ''The Creature From The
Black Lagoon."

Let´s talk about the audience, what kind of people
come to see Astrovamps?
Are there a mix of genres or just deathrock people?

EYAJO: Our crowds have always had a big mix of genres,
there would be people from everywhere. Deathrock,
Batcave and Goth (mostly) , but also; rock, metal,
glam, punk and death metal people as well.

DANIEL: Honestly, all kinds. we have always had a youg
audience but lately I've noticed more and more older
folks coming. We get a real crossover crowd, Goths
with Punkers and Black Metalers.

TOE KNEE: Every walk of social miscreant known (or
otherwise) to mankind.All good people and true people
unlike the majority of bipeds.

Thing you hate the most while being on the road?

EYAJO: Waiting a day or two before the next show and
not being able to get enough ice in my drink. other
than that we do what we have to do for our art.

DANIEL: The drag time you spend on the bus. It gets to
be long and boring. You really live for that one hour
on stage.

TOE KNEE: Hot tar,Speeding vehicles and those pesky
fragments of roadkill.YUCK!!

If you could pick any director you wish, who you direct Astrovamps music video?

DANIEL: Tim Burton.

EYAJO: Peter Jackson. Tim Burton.

GLASS: Guillermo Del Toro, Chris Cunningham, Michele
Soavi, or Patric Ullaeus.

TOE KNEE: Lucio Fulci, if he were still alive or
perhaps Quentin Tarantino

GRIM: OCTAVIO ARIZALA

What is next with Astrovamps?

EYAJO: Well we will being doing a club tour in the UK
and there are other European dates in the works.
Preparing to release all our old material on "toys in
the Graveyard" and record our next full length Lp
''Pixies and Daggers.'' But other than that ASTROVAMPS
really plan to focus on touring these last years.

DANIEL: Something we wanted to do for a long time,..a
VIDEO!

GLASS: We're going to become missionaries and go to
Africa.
Or come out with another album and tour. One or the
other.

TOE KNEE: Planetary domination!!

GRIM: A new beginning for me, since I'm the newest
edition to the Vamps.

Last gasps of breath are your, use them wisely!

DANIEL: I am soon to be featured on a reality show by
MTV about a hip Hollywood Barber shop on Melrose. I
happen to work there so it should be fun.

EYAJO: I also have a few side things in the works,
''The Dreadful Dead of Black Berry Creek'' and ''The
Dead Pumpkin Patch Project.'' and their progress i
will keep updated on mysite and the ''Astrovamps''
site. Other than that you can count on more ASTROVAMPS
tours coming your way.

GLASS: Check out seaofdeadfaces.net! Or be DooMed.

TOE KNEE: Too bad.I have an extra lung on reserve.

http://www.astrovamps.com

http://www.myspace.com/astrovamps

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