Exposed Vocals just caught an exclusive interview with ‘SLaM’
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist? Â
SLaM: Metal is in my blood having been brought up on a diet of Black Sabbath, Cream, Grand Funk Railroad & Emerson Lake & Palmer you kind of get to understand why this music is different. Growing up on various Military Bases across the World gives you a well travelled outlook on life, living in so many different countries and having so many diverse friends was really cool. I wanted to play Guitar the very first time I heard Jeff Hanneman on Slayer’s Show No Mercy album.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
SLaM: It started with 3 friends jamming in 2004, then when I returned to live in South Wales, UK we decided to pick up where we left off. I did not want to sing & the other Band members at the time did not want to sing so we just fell into the Instrumental thing & really enjoyed doing it.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
SLaM: To radio stations we give 3 tracks off every EP. Generally you will know if someone supports you because they buy your music. If a fan has shocked with a level of support that was beyond normal then yes I would give a copy of an EP for free.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
SLaM: Network, network, network & when your sick of networking network some more. In order to get your Band name out there you have to put in the hours & hours of effort. Play every gig like its your last & always have fun & cut the bullshit, dont act all moody and leave your ego at the door.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process? Â
SLaM: Generally a song title will kick things off and from there I will construct a track to a click track, upload it to Dropbox & send it to the other members. Once we have a song we rip it apart, consider the tempo, the intro, the outro & give it the SLaM 5 point check. Once we are happy with it we do a demo recording & send it to our Listening group set up of some hard core SLaM friends & family. We only ask one thing total honesty. And that honesty has helped with the 2nd & 3rd EP’s writing process.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
SLaM: We dont have a website as we heavily rely on Social Media, Internet & Terrestrial Radio stations and then a massive mix of the usual suspects of Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Reverbnation and so on.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
SLaM: I dont have any, I have a very varied taste in music & I will argue my point if someone does not like what I do. I am very opinionated when it comes to the music & bands that I like.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it? Â
SLaM: I would recruit some of the best Muscians from around the World & I would do a Monster one off album that would smash the face of the Metal community & leave everyone with a busted nose.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now? Â
SLaM: I am running a 21″ iMac with Logic Pro & using a Lexicon Omega external sound card. I am also running a Windows based PC with a Lexicon Alpha external sound card with Audacity.I am also extending my house so I can have a full studio with an electronic Drum kit & a semi permanant set up for recording.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
SLaM: I post loads of Banners & Posters in several Facebook Groups, as much as I dislike elements of what Facebook stands for I love the fact that people can just add you to Groups without asking you. When this happens they get a SLaM Ball. Thats where I post loads of SLaM related material until either they kick me out or they simply allow it. Either way I win.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?Â
SLaM: I would love to play Full Force Festival with Paul Bostaph on Drums, Lemmy Kilminster (R.I.P.) on Bass and Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.) & I doing the Guitars.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
SLaM: I am releasing a special EP where there will be 5 different versions of the same song. The original Instrumental version & 4 versions with different vocalists who have written their own lyrics & sung it in their very own unique way, the Drums were done by a friend of mine JJ Marauder from 9xDead.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing? Â
SLaM: Dead
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head? Â
SLaM:
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life? Â
SLaM: Thats difficult, I have 2 young children & a very demanding time consuming Job where I am responsible for a lot of people & a lot of Finances. My children go Dog walking on a Sunday so I get a few hours to get the riffs in my head down.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016? Â
SLaM: Another EP & much much more SLaM doing what we do best METALLLLLLLLLLLL
