Given the recent struggles and distress the country has faced in this high tension political season it’s possible there is no band more relevant for the times then Cleveland’s Ventana and its debut release American Survival Guide Vol. 1. The bands breed of industrial metal is armed with explosive passion and depth depicting the nations worst nightmares. VentanA is lead by Mushroomhead keyboardist sampler Richard “St1tch” Thomas, along with Circus of Dead Squirrels vocalist Matt Foran, and drummer Daniel Fox who has toured with such notable bands as Mushroomhead, Dope, and Crossbreed. We lined up the guys to talk about its long awaited debut album, gaining independent recognition, and the music industry sucking dick.
S*KM: The band logo of sorts appears to be an image of a gas mask with guns extending from behind and a mushroom cloud looming in the background. What message or symbolism is the band attempting to convey through that captivating image?
VentanA: Exactly what the album title suggests, surviving the fall of the American empire.
S*KM: Is it difficult for this project to stand on its own having Rick Thomas of Mushroomhead and other notable local musicians in its ranks?
VentanA: No, not at all. It’s different enough than the other projects to be placed in it’s own category. If anything, it benefits us more to have members involved with other bands so we can show all of our fans a different side of ourselves.
S*KM: Is it frustrating when people refer to VentanA as a Mushroomhead side project?
VentanA: Of course, because it is not a Mushroomhead side project. This is not meant to be a stand alone album. We obviously get that a lot right now because we are still new and Mushroomhead is very well established. We have confidence that this album will gain us our own independent recognition.
S*KM: You are in the process of mixing your debut release, American Survival Guide Vol. 1 at Ante Up Audio. How is it going and what has kept the band from releasing material sooner?
VentanA: The recording and mixing for this record has been finished and everything sounds better than our initial expectations. Line-up changes was the biggest thing holding us back from releasing this album any sooner. We feel that this album will be worth the long wait.
S*KM: Do you have an expected release date for the album, and have you set an official track listing yet?
VentanA: The album is scheduled to be released in early November and will include 11 tracks. At this time, the songs are still being placed in the order that they will appear.
S*KM: Has there been interest from any labels to put out the record, or is this something you are looking to do independently?
VentanA: There has been some interest but can’t say much more than that at this time.
S*KM: With a title like American Survival Guide Vol.1 one could only imagine the subject matter covered in the record. Save us the guess work, what are some of the messages and themes covered on the disc?
VentanA: This album addresses the current state of the world and the many frustrations and mistakes that have brought us to this point. The album can be best described as a warning or a wake-up call. Some people that have heard the songs and have read the lyrics say we may be “taking it to far” or “we shouldn’t be saying things like this”, we just want to be honest and try to wake people up.
S*KM: In the world of industrial metal do you think it is imperative for a band to project a larger then life persona on stage through masks, costumes, etc. or can someone pull it off sporting their $9.88 Wrangler jean shorts?
VentanA: When it all comes down to it, it’s your music and your message that count. I would like to believe that image is secondary and should not effect people’s reaction to the band. But we all know that in this society image is not secondary, and everyone judges your band on how you look. I personally prefer masks, costumes, etc. for the projects I am involved with because to me, it’s a very artistic and animated approach that compliments the music (a visual aid).
S*KM: Will the band be hitting the road in support of the effort, if so how extensive of a run can we expect?
VentanA: The band will begin touring in early 2009, expect to see 2-4 week runs at a time. We are currently discussing touring ideas with bands: Psyclon Nine, Helltrash, Circus of Dead Squirrels, and a few “underground bands” to join up and put a tour together that will definitely turn heads and get a reaction.
S*KM: Looking around at the Cleveland music scene, who are some of the bands you guys like to get out and see?
VentanA: Unfortunately the most we see is the inside of the studios we are prisoner to, haha. So we don’t really get to go out to local shows as much as we would like to find new talent. One of the most recent bands we have had the pleasure of getting to know is a Cleveland band called SOLIPSIST.
S*KM: What is one band you guys would sell an appendage to share the stage with?
VentanA: Faith No More or NIN, everyone in this band was heavily influenced by these two bands growing up. Both highly unlikely of ever actually happening though.
S*KM: On Rick’s personal Myspace page, in his favorite music, he has Incubus listed with a disclaimer of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and before, what is wrong with Make Yourself?
VentanA: I like MAKE YOURSELF but S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was their best effort in my eyes, their Faith no More influence was strong on that record, but they had such a cool, tribal raw twist on it, I just absolutely love that record. When I heard “Make Yourself” for the first time I knew they were starting to make the switch to become more “radio friendly”..which is awesome for them that they were able to do that cause they are still putting out records and managed to cross over to a larger fan base. I still respect them greatly for all their accomplishments but as a fan I prefer the older stuff.
S*KM: Let’s burst everyone’s bubble, can you tell us a few revealing truths about your time spent in the music industry?
VentanA: It sucks dick about 75% of the time. Ha! It’s not quite as glamorous (at least not yet) as people may imagine, over 50% of music fans download and copy music, so all the money you spend recording a record and putting it out gets lost because of that. It’s hard to make a living in this business unless you completely sell-out, or are making rap music, haha. Creating the music and meeting the fans that come up to you and say they relate to what we are doing makes all the aggravation worth it though, and inspires us to keep doing what we do.
S*KM: We would like to thank you guys for taking the time to answer our questions, for that we would like to give a little alone time with the people of Saw*Kick and the VentaA faithful to inform them of anything we neglected to cover.
VentanA: Check out our MySpace page where our debut album is now available for Pre-Order, join the Ventana Street Team. Check out MUSHROOMHEAD and Circus of Dead Squirrels. Be sure to drink your ovaltine.
You can check out VentanA for yourself at www.myspace.com/ventanaband along with band news and tour dates.
This is a great interview!! Your hard work is appreciated