interview with Metalian
What´s the name of your band? Metalian
How was the band formed? I recored two demo songs for fun, and it led to me, Isho Bailey and Liam Sullivan recoding more with a drum machine.
Can you tell about your band? High "falsetto" vocals, dueling lead guitars, pounding bass and drums. We've been described as a NWOHM style band.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? The current lineup is me, Ian Wilson(Vocals/lead guitar), Simon Costa(Lead guitar), Andres Arango (Bass), Tony Cantara (Drums). I'm from Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Simon is from Montreal, Quebec, Andres is from Columbia (can't remember the name of the town), and Tony is from Joliette, Quebec. We are all living in Montreal.
What was the ambitions of the band when it started? Just to have fun playing music. Play some shows and party.
Where was your first gig? Open mic night at a small bar in Montreal in 2002
Where was the latest gig? Loudhouse in Montreal, although we toured europe last month(oct), playing in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy annd Switzerland. We have plans to go back in September 2015.
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? We write our songs together. Someone will have a riff and we will add our own parts.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? I think we all have good senses of humor. We like to amuse ourselves with stupid shit.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We write all our own music, but always play a cover or two during live sets.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?RnR Anthems(2003), Metalian(2005), Wasteland(2009), 7" warrior split(2009), Tundrastruck split(2011), Rock Solid(2012)
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Many!
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I am 31, I started playing guitar at the age of 10 and after learning a power chord I began teaching myself songs.
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? I was 12 when I started my first punk band "hooked on chronics"
What year was the band started? 2002
Best/worst gig you've played? All are best. Even when there's not a lot of people we enjoy playing.
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? Albany, Pittsburgh and Toronto for now.
Where have you played from then till now? Eastern Canada, North Eastern USA, and the European countries I mentioned.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? Heaven and Hell, Judas Priest, GBH, English Dogs, Motorhead.....and on...
Is it always the same songs live? We're always switching up our setlists and adding different covers.
How big crowds do you usually play for? 100-200 average.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? We're looking into touring Mexico and Japan, but only have Europe in September so far.
Where do you usually play? Bars and underground venues.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Beer and weed!
What are your goals with your music? To keep releasing albums and touring. Meeting people and making friends all over the world!
When did you decide to go all in for the music? Music is a rewarding and fullfilling part of my life. It keeps me sane. We all have jobs to pay the bills, and inable us to travel and play.
What are your sources of inspiration? smoke a joint.
What's the first step when making a new song? I'll smoke a joint and riff on something that sounds good and turn it into a song.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? Thats the reality of the world of today. Its much more satisfying to own an album then just have the songs on your computer. Vinyls sound 10 times better.
What would be your dreams for the band? If we could make a living off music that would be amazing, but realistically my dreams are being fullfilled by being able to tour and play shows.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Many different genres. I'm pretty open minded with music. Mostly classic rock, punk rock, hip hop/rap, Reggae....
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Can't say i have any, what ever happens is gonna happen and you cant fight or fear change. Enjoy the moment and be honest.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? We rock out, cant think of anything i fear..
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I do deliveries with a courrier company in my van.
What would you do if there was no music? Survive.
How important are your fans? They are the reason we get to play.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? A friend of mine whos a fan got a metalian tatoo.
How often do you rehearse? Once a week.
Where do you rehearse? An old warehouse by the traintracks.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? I like them all.
Do you have any webpages? Facebook
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Have fun, if it's not fun it's not worth it.
How do you view the musicindustry of today? Labels can't make as much revenue from cds as before the internet, so bands become a customer to their own music, having to buy their own records from the label.. you're better off to do it yourself or with a small label that wont own the rights and make you sign contracts.
Whats your Pre-show ritual? Beers and weed!
Do you have anything to add? Hopefully we can make it to sweden next september!