by Nate Michayluk / Schwegweb.com
Schwegweb had a chance to sit down with Michael Novak of the band Every Time I Die. Here is what came from it.
Schwegweb: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Michael Novak: “Musical influences… for me Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Ben from Converged, Chris from Dillinger, Dave Lombardo form Slayer.”
How do you compare your style of music to other bands?
“I’d like to think we’re pretty original, kind of fun. There’s a lot of bands now days that are serious metal bands, we just like to do our own thing, kind of stand out a little bit, so I hope that stands out a little bit.”
What’s the best part about being on tour?
“The best part about being on tour is just playing every night.”
What’s that worst part about being on tour?
“It seems for this tour every one has been getting sick, which kind of sucks. Like one person gets sick, and everybody gets sick.”
How do you feel your music has progressed from your past CD’s to your newest one?
“I think it’s more structured, more listenable, you know it’s not all over the place. I’m not against our old stuff at all, but a band progresses and they seem to write music that has more theory, or form.”
What is one thing you hope the fans get out of your music?
“Probably like I said before just like a good fun time, you know, enjoy your self, don’t go to our shows to be a meat head and beat some one up. Just have a good time drink a beer, do your thing, what ever.”
Why did you choose to be a musician, why did you choose to be something else?
“I don’t know. I grew yup on rock and roll. My dad was non-stop playing The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, all that stuff, and it just kind of caught on that I wanted to play something like that. And I played drums all though elementary, middle school, high school, school band and stuff, and it was like wow this is what I want to do, this is awesome.”
What is your favorite song to play?
“I think on this tour, it’s I’ve Been Gone A Long Time. It’s kind of towards the end of the set, and every time we play it, it’s like an explosion. It just really stands out in the set to me.”
What is your favorite part about being a musician?
“I guess the fact that I’m not working a 9 to 5 job. I play drums for 40 minutes a night, and that’s my life, you can’t ask for more. That’s why we’re so humble and chilled out as people because we realize how good we have it.”
Who is your favorite band to tour with?
“Dillinger Escape Plan is up there, As I Lay Dying is up there, Norma Jean, Bleeding Though, there’s so many it’s hard to just name one. These are all our peers, all our friends.”
How do you feel about the way music has progressed over the years in general?
“I think it’s gone towards the better. I think metal right now is four times as big as it was in the early 90’s. Like Earth Crisis I don’t know if you know that band, they are a Victory Records band, they were a band I grew up on, they got me in to strait edge and everything. The biggest record they sold was like 40 thousand, and [Metal] bands now days are selling 5 times that but they are the same kind of band, every one stems from that band kind of. It’s so weird to me how you can tell all the bands that have come from them. Like Hot Topic, you would never see an old bands shirts in a hot store like that, it would be like and indie store, it’s everywhere now, and it’s so awesome.”
If you could be a carton character or super hero, who would you be and why?
“Wow…that’s a curve ball, I like it. It’s going to be a tough one. Let me think… wow. Ill be Freddy Kruger. He’s brutal, he’s kinda funny, he’s not really a super hero but he’s brutal.”
If you could pick any other profession what would it be?
“I’m really in to movies, and obviously something else dealing with music, weather it’s managing a band, or booking a band, or running a club. You know just something to with music. Or working on a movie set would be awesome, something like that.”
What profession would you not be?
“Something where you get dirty all the time, not a janitor they probably don’t have it that bad, but like maintenance or something like that. Or something that you’re busing you ass and you’re not getting paid a lot, where you feel like you’re doing way too much work.”
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