Interview with PowerGlove

Hey guys, I mentioned this on the show so for those of you interested, here's the interview written up. Writing credits go to Michael Newbold Smith, who did a fantastic job. This is pretty much verbatim, word for word as I went along. Photography credits go to Anthony DeCrisantis Photography (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Middlebury-VT/Anthony-DeCrisantis-Photography/100380056700042)

Interview with: Nick Avila, Chris Marchiel, Bassil Silver (POWERGLOVE) – Montreal, QC – 11/7/10

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. How’d you guys come up with the idea of an album based on TV themes?

It happened while we were on tour. We were driving all the way across the country, and we had a lot of conversations. They tended to center around all those great shows and Saturday morning cartoons we loved growing up, so there you go.

Up until now, you’ve been known as a band that covers video game themes, so this is kind of a departure for you.

Well, early on, we decided to do two different albums. One would be devoted to TV themes, and with the next one we’d go back to video games. So Saturday Morning Apocalypse is sort of a concept album for us. Actually, it’s been finished for at least six months, since the time we went on tour with Sonata Arctica back in April.

So what can we expect from the next album?

What we usually do is crank out a huge batch of songs. This way we have a lot to work with, and if we can’t get the licensing permission from publishers for some of them, at least we have a bunch left over. We have five or six new songs finished. Sometimes we put our own spin on them, but some are straight-up “covers,” so we’ll definitely need permission for those. We try to play it safe.

What song gave you the most difficulty in obtaining the license?

“Inspector Gadget,” for sure. The permission question was up in the air for quite a while, and we had a couple real scares. Disney also gave us some problems. They were pretty reluctant to give us license. They looked at us and basically said, “You’re a metal band, and you’re inappropriate for our music.” But they gave in eventually, and gave us two out of three choices. One of them was “Winnie The Pooh.”

Why “Winnie The Pooh?”

Because “Winnie The Pooh” is awesome! We get a lot of joy out of taking something cute and innocent and making it sound really brutal. Metal is the music we like, so that’s how it’s gonna sound. It’s all in good fun.

Tell us about your cover of “The Simpsons.”

Permission for that one was actually pretty easy to get. It was great to get Tony Kakko [of Sonata Arctica] to contribute some vocals. He had really liked “Mario,” and wanted to work with us. He recorded about sixty vocal tracks for “The Simpsons” and sent them to us, and we wound up using a vast majority of them. We also got Tony to do lead vocals on “Gotta Catch Em All,” the theme from “Pokemon.” Structurally, that song accommodated vocals pretty well. It all fit. He’s a great guy, a really hard worker.

What songs didn’t make the cut?

There were some songs we absolutely loved, but that just didn’t translate well at all. The best example is “Ninja Turtles.” We discovered that it just doesn’t work as power metal. But Bonded By Blood did a fast thrash cover of that song, and it worked that way. So go figure. “DuckTales” was more of an afterthought. We were working on a medley of “Tiny Toons” and “Animaniacs” that didn’t get finished in time. “Captain Planet” was another one that just didn’t translate. We’ve also gotten a lot of requests and suggestions. Bob Katsionis [of Firewind] wanted us to do “The Smurfs.” We’ll only do a song, though, if we can make it special. We don’t want to cover something that someone else has already covered really well, like Bonded By Blood did. Another great example is The Black Dahlia Murder. We wanted to do “What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse,” based on Castlevania II, until we found out they’d already done their own version. And now it’s on Rock Band. [laughter]

What are your favorite video games?

Bassil: Starcraft and Final Fantasy 7

Nick: Crono Trigger

Chris: Bad at choosing favorites, but possibly Secret Of Mana

Video games are a great way to relax. They’re a great stress reliever. But then again, some of those multiplayer games never end!

What do you guys enjoy besides gaming?

Making love! [laughter] Mountain biking, exercise, weightlifting, and as many metal shows as possible.

What are your favorite bands?

Bassil: Agalloch, Opeth

Nick: also Opeth

Chris: power metal fan (Japanese power metal + Blind Guardian, etc.), but also Emperor

Do you try to incorporate any influences besides power metal?

Of course. Some of our stuff is influenced by death metal, like Cannibal Corpse. We have what we call the “Powerglove compromise.” We’ll sometimes alternate between really brutal, grinding blast beats, and then we’ll do what Chris calls a “sex blast.” [a really sexy disco-esque rhythm] Some stuff is super heavy, and some is melodic. Basically, we all love power metal, but we also love heavy music in general. We try to incorporate all styles into our music. There are no limits.

Do you make a conscious effort to add your own element, your own personalities, to the songs you cover?

Sure! We can’t help but do that. We’re trying to do something different and make it fun. It’s a true collaboration, and we never fight to the death over an idea. We try to be democratic, and if someone doesn’t dig an idea, we’ll talk about it and try to work it out. Then, in the end, if it boils down to three against one, then that guy finally loses. [laughter]