©Tracy Ann George
METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Josh and Mark. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper again. We appreciate it. Now give us a little run down about Black Heart Saints and what we need to know.
JOSH ROSS/ MARK SEAN: Black Heart Saints is a rock band from Austin, Texas. Earlier this year, the band won an Austin Music Award and recently completed a Midwest tour.
MPAP: Very nice. So, we’re going to change up this interview and do something different. I’m going to pull some recent headlines from the Metal Injection website and get your reactions and comments on them. Here we go:
1. Celtic Frost Frontman Wishes Metallica Had Left 'Their Millionaire Fingers' Off His Song
MPAP: So, at a recent Metallica show in Switzerland, Kirk and Rob played one of Celtic Frost’s song "The Usurper" during a break in the show. According to Tom Warrior, vocalist for Celtic Frost, the two of them butchered it. He said, 'Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [Metallica’s] "Hit the Lights" with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance.' What do you think about this? If someone was going to cover one of your songs, do you think it should be done in good taste and without any mistakes, or it’s Metallica, and they can do whatever they want, it's no big deal?
JOSH: Well, I think the way I would look at this is, shouldn’t it always be a huge honor to have someone cover one of your songs! Definitely a band such as Metallica. Hey, we all make mistakes, that’s just life. So, even if there were some mistakes, how can you fault someone for that. Again, shouldn’t it be enlightening to know that someone actually gives a damn about a song you wrote and in respect and by being inspired by the song, would want to go out there and play your song in front of their fans or audiences.
2. A Fan Died In The Slipknot Mosh Pit This Weekend
MPAP: Very sad. So, apparently, a 62-year-old Slipknot fan died while in the mosh pit at a Chicago show here in the United States. Corey Taylor had recently stopped a previous show because he saw the mosh pit was getting too violent. Accidents do happen, but do you think mosh pits at metal shows are becoming more dangerous?
JOSH: I couldn’t honestly say if mosh pits are more dangerous now than they were before. Sure, any time you bring that many people into one area, fuel that with intoxication and some heavy ass music. I mean don’t you think that’s a major ingredient for something to happen, and happen fast, with the risk of some major unfortunate outcomes to occur. I think we all have to do our part in doing our best to prevent situations from happening. Meaning, let’s all remember we are there to have a great time, to enjoy the music we all love, and getting to celebrate that together. Let’s care for one another just a little more, and let's remember to have fun, but let's keep each other in mind. We all want to remember these beautiful memories at concerts as highlights in our lives, not for the disastrous headlines that we can help to prevent.
MARK: There’s a bright side to this, though, that’s a pretty 'metal' way to go out, don’t you think? I can think of a lot more uneventful ways to die, like dying on the toilet.
3. Slayer Pulled As Primary Sponsor Of NASCAR Due To Complaints From Other Sponsors
MPAP: Really? C’mon., it’s just a band name. It’s not like Satan himself will be driving the car, right?
JOSH: All I got to say is, Its F’n Slayer! Do they even need a NASCAR sponsor? When you’re a band like those guys, I doubt they are sitting there, beating themselves up, over NASCAR making an obvious ridiculous decision.
MARK: And now look at the publicity that they’ve received over this. I think it’s fascinating that there are sponsors who are genuinely concerned over their perceived Satanic reputation.
4. Maynard Got Death Threats Over How Long The Tool Album Took
MPAP: Talk about some diehard fans. I think that is going a bit too far, even if you’ve been waiting 13 years, right?
JOSH: Ha. Absolutely, is it ever okay to send death threats? Come on people. I get music really can affect people. That’s the beauty of writing music and seeing people relate and connect to it even in ways you couldn’t have imagined. But never connect yourself to the artist, allow that artist to be just that, an artist. We do this job as a relief just like you may need the song for your release. This is our therapy and sometimes we just need time to reevaluate our purpose, our life, our lessons, and everything else that you may go through too. So, allow artist to do their thing, and don’t take what you love about the band for granted, and for sure send death threats because a human being is living their lives. Come on! Ha.
MARK: I think I would be partly flattered, slightly creeped out, and maybe even a little motivated if this happened to me. Diamonds are created under pressure, right? Haha!
5. Controversial Video Shows Rob Zombie Grabbing A Female Fan By The Hair After Being Groped
MPAP: His shirt was pulled, but, nevertheless. I guess during a show Rob went out into the crowd, and an enthusastic fan reached out and pulled on his shirt. After this headline was posted, quite a few bands like Shinedown, All That Remains, and Bad Wolves defended Rob’s actions. What are your thoughts, do fans need to keep their hands to themselves?
JOSH: Well, this can go back to the last question, I guess you never know nowadays what you are going to encounter at these shows. It’s hard to trust that people are going to control themselves or possibly there to cause you harm. I’m sure there’s two sides to every story, so I don’t want to make any assumptions of what took place for the reaction to occur. But if you are in the crowd, I guess you should expect something like this to happen, and make the reaction wasn’t the best one to make at the time. But, he’s there to do a job, allow the artist to do that. Don’t ruin a good time for everyone else who spent money just like you to see a show that they will forever remember.
6. Behemoth Frontman Confronted At YMCA For Wearing Darkthrone Shirt & Kicked Out Not Believing In Jesus
MPAP: It was just a shirt, and he was going there to workout. It wasn’t like he was going to sacrifice some virgins and spill blood everywhere. What do you think?
JOSH: Yeah, I don’t think YMCA is in the business of judgment making. They are a community gym, now please, just be that. I honestly wouldn’t blame the corporation for what happened, and probably just the extremist that had to make a point that day. Blame that person who thought their beliefs were more important than someone else and made the call to kick them out of the gym, which is a facility for fitness, not of religion.
MARK: Do the employees get paid a bonus for being the fashion police?
7. Former Weedeater Drummer Arrested For Allegedly Spiking Wife’s Drink With Meth
MPAP: Umm, this doesn’t look like they have a very good marriage going on for this to have happened. Do you think they need some marriage counseling or what?
JOSH: Well I would definitely say there’s some major issues here! Seek help. Ha.
MARK: Coffee wasn’t good enough, eh?
8. Walmart Shoppers Call The Cops On Metal Band for… Sitting In A Van Parking Lot
MPAP: This happened right after the tragic Dayton, Ohio shooting where ten people were killed, including the shooter, and 27 others were injured. The gunman just happened to be a metalhead because he was wearing a The Acacia Strain hoodie. It’s good that people report things, but this could turn out that every traveling metal band that’s parked in a Walmart parking lot are going to get reported now. What do you think?
JOSH: If you’re hanging out in a parking lot of any sort, you probably should expect that cops can be called at any point. Yes, a Walmart parking lot is known for a quick overnight sleep by travelers, so, I seriously think this could happen to anybody. Definitely for a bunch of guys, rather they are a band or not, it may raise some suspicion to some people. Is it right? Who knows? Is safety a concern to you? Or not? Like I said, always two sides to things. Again, expect cops to be called at any point, if you want to prevent that, maybe don’t sleep in parking lots. Ha.
MARK: I wonder if this ever happens to Americana bands, where some of them look just like your average trucker?
9. People Are Going Wild For This Rant Tommy Lee Shared Against Donald Trump
MPAP: The rant/tweet is quite a bit long, so I'm not going to torture you to read it, but I will say this: should musicians talk or write about politics? In a way, it’s like their forcing their beliefs down our throats. What are your thoughts?
JOSH: I think we should stay out of politics and do what we are paid to do. Entertain and write music. Doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with politics or have your beliefs, but I definitely don’t think we should use our platform to voice our views, and yes, force our beliefs onto our audiences. There may be some opportunities that may allow you to go and speak your mind on political platforms, but on anything else, those things are just better left unsaid.
MARK: There are so many bands today getting involved with politics and religion. It’s become so predictable and nauseating. We’re here to entertain and create the experience where you can come to our shows and escape from all of that.
10. James Hetfield Calls Woman Who Used Metallica’s Music To Fend Off Cougar
MPAP: A young lady, was out walking her dog when off in the distance a cougar began to stalk her. She eventually played a Metallica song on her phone to scare it away, and it worked. She definitely had luck and the power of music on her side, right? What song of yours do you think would scare off a hungry cougar?
JOSH: I would probably say, a song off our Alive Lp called “One Last Thrill.” I guess the only reason I say that is cause it’s a banger and if that song don’t work, well darlin, it just may be your one last thrill trying to get away from that cougar! Ha. Hold up, we talking about the chicks from last night gig, right?! Ha.
11. While She Sleeps Release Free T-Shirt Design To Clue Fans Into How Much Streaming Doesn’t Pay
MPAP: This is what the design said: One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting a band. Sadly, buying music isn’t the same anymore. Back in the day, it used to be fun to buy an actual album or CD, don’t you think?
JOSH: I agree. I always dug having the physical copy of a band’s album, but that’s coming from a musician. I always enjoyed opening the album and seeing all the thought that went into it. From the pictures, to the lyrics, to reading the thank you notes by the band mates. I think you can still find a few of those die-hard fans that still want that physical copy. Not as much as when it was the only option. But hey, times are always changing, and we have to come up with a better way to get musicians paid for their talents with the new age of things.
MARK: Vinyl records have been making a comeback over the last few years… maybe it’s something we should look into for the next release.
12. David Hasselhoff Teams Up With Ministry Frontman For "Sweet Caroline" Cover
MPAP: All I can say is, this should be interesting. Hopefully, it’s not a train wreck for the Hoff. It's worth a listen to when it comes out though. What do you think of this collaboration?
JOSH: Definitely an interesting collaboration for sure. It’ll be worth the listen to see if that train stays on the tracks or it’s just the opposite, a total train wreck.
MPAP: What tv/movie actor would you like to cover a song with someday?
JOSH: I think if I could choose an actor to join forces with, it would probably be, Adam Sandler, cause I’m sure it would be one hilarious experience and none of the songs would ever make sense, and I’m still trying to figure out how he always ends up with the hot chick in the movie, ha. Or I would say, Matthew McConaughey, cause you know he’s smoking a fatty and playing a mean beat on those congas, alright, alright, alrightttttt, ha.
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Josh and Mark, for taking the time to answer these headline questions. We look forward to what Black Heart Saints does to finish out 2019 and beyond. Any last words for all your fans out there?
MARK: We’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. We hope to see our Texas fans at the shows we have coming up with Buckcherry next week. And for everyone else, stay tuned for more tour announcements.
JOSH ROSS/ MARK SEAN: Black Heart Saints is a rock band from Austin, Texas. Earlier this year, the band won an Austin Music Award and recently completed a Midwest tour.
MPAP: Very nice. So, we’re going to change up this interview and do something different. I’m going to pull some recent headlines from the Metal Injection website and get your reactions and comments on them. Here we go:
1. Celtic Frost Frontman Wishes Metallica Had Left 'Their Millionaire Fingers' Off His Song
MPAP: So, at a recent Metallica show in Switzerland, Kirk and Rob played one of Celtic Frost’s song "The Usurper" during a break in the show. According to Tom Warrior, vocalist for Celtic Frost, the two of them butchered it. He said, 'Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [Metallica’s] "Hit the Lights" with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance.' What do you think about this? If someone was going to cover one of your songs, do you think it should be done in good taste and without any mistakes, or it’s Metallica, and they can do whatever they want, it's no big deal?
JOSH: Well, I think the way I would look at this is, shouldn’t it always be a huge honor to have someone cover one of your songs! Definitely a band such as Metallica. Hey, we all make mistakes, that’s just life. So, even if there were some mistakes, how can you fault someone for that. Again, shouldn’t it be enlightening to know that someone actually gives a damn about a song you wrote and in respect and by being inspired by the song, would want to go out there and play your song in front of their fans or audiences.
2. A Fan Died In The Slipknot Mosh Pit This Weekend
MPAP: Very sad. So, apparently, a 62-year-old Slipknot fan died while in the mosh pit at a Chicago show here in the United States. Corey Taylor had recently stopped a previous show because he saw the mosh pit was getting too violent. Accidents do happen, but do you think mosh pits at metal shows are becoming more dangerous?
JOSH: I couldn’t honestly say if mosh pits are more dangerous now than they were before. Sure, any time you bring that many people into one area, fuel that with intoxication and some heavy ass music. I mean don’t you think that’s a major ingredient for something to happen, and happen fast, with the risk of some major unfortunate outcomes to occur. I think we all have to do our part in doing our best to prevent situations from happening. Meaning, let’s all remember we are there to have a great time, to enjoy the music we all love, and getting to celebrate that together. Let’s care for one another just a little more, and let's remember to have fun, but let's keep each other in mind. We all want to remember these beautiful memories at concerts as highlights in our lives, not for the disastrous headlines that we can help to prevent.
MARK: There’s a bright side to this, though, that’s a pretty 'metal' way to go out, don’t you think? I can think of a lot more uneventful ways to die, like dying on the toilet.
3. Slayer Pulled As Primary Sponsor Of NASCAR Due To Complaints From Other Sponsors
MPAP: Really? C’mon., it’s just a band name. It’s not like Satan himself will be driving the car, right?
JOSH: All I got to say is, Its F’n Slayer! Do they even need a NASCAR sponsor? When you’re a band like those guys, I doubt they are sitting there, beating themselves up, over NASCAR making an obvious ridiculous decision.
MARK: And now look at the publicity that they’ve received over this. I think it’s fascinating that there are sponsors who are genuinely concerned over their perceived Satanic reputation.
4. Maynard Got Death Threats Over How Long The Tool Album Took
MPAP: Talk about some diehard fans. I think that is going a bit too far, even if you’ve been waiting 13 years, right?
JOSH: Ha. Absolutely, is it ever okay to send death threats? Come on people. I get music really can affect people. That’s the beauty of writing music and seeing people relate and connect to it even in ways you couldn’t have imagined. But never connect yourself to the artist, allow that artist to be just that, an artist. We do this job as a relief just like you may need the song for your release. This is our therapy and sometimes we just need time to reevaluate our purpose, our life, our lessons, and everything else that you may go through too. So, allow artist to do their thing, and don’t take what you love about the band for granted, and for sure send death threats because a human being is living their lives. Come on! Ha.
MARK: I think I would be partly flattered, slightly creeped out, and maybe even a little motivated if this happened to me. Diamonds are created under pressure, right? Haha!
5. Controversial Video Shows Rob Zombie Grabbing A Female Fan By The Hair After Being Groped
MPAP: His shirt was pulled, but, nevertheless. I guess during a show Rob went out into the crowd, and an enthusastic fan reached out and pulled on his shirt. After this headline was posted, quite a few bands like Shinedown, All That Remains, and Bad Wolves defended Rob’s actions. What are your thoughts, do fans need to keep their hands to themselves?
JOSH: Well, this can go back to the last question, I guess you never know nowadays what you are going to encounter at these shows. It’s hard to trust that people are going to control themselves or possibly there to cause you harm. I’m sure there’s two sides to every story, so I don’t want to make any assumptions of what took place for the reaction to occur. But if you are in the crowd, I guess you should expect something like this to happen, and make the reaction wasn’t the best one to make at the time. But, he’s there to do a job, allow the artist to do that. Don’t ruin a good time for everyone else who spent money just like you to see a show that they will forever remember.
6. Behemoth Frontman Confronted At YMCA For Wearing Darkthrone Shirt & Kicked Out Not Believing In Jesus
MPAP: It was just a shirt, and he was going there to workout. It wasn’t like he was going to sacrifice some virgins and spill blood everywhere. What do you think?
JOSH: Yeah, I don’t think YMCA is in the business of judgment making. They are a community gym, now please, just be that. I honestly wouldn’t blame the corporation for what happened, and probably just the extremist that had to make a point that day. Blame that person who thought their beliefs were more important than someone else and made the call to kick them out of the gym, which is a facility for fitness, not of religion.
MARK: Do the employees get paid a bonus for being the fashion police?
7. Former Weedeater Drummer Arrested For Allegedly Spiking Wife’s Drink With Meth
MPAP: Umm, this doesn’t look like they have a very good marriage going on for this to have happened. Do you think they need some marriage counseling or what?
JOSH: Well I would definitely say there’s some major issues here! Seek help. Ha.
MARK: Coffee wasn’t good enough, eh?
8. Walmart Shoppers Call The Cops On Metal Band for… Sitting In A Van Parking Lot
MPAP: This happened right after the tragic Dayton, Ohio shooting where ten people were killed, including the shooter, and 27 others were injured. The gunman just happened to be a metalhead because he was wearing a The Acacia Strain hoodie. It’s good that people report things, but this could turn out that every traveling metal band that’s parked in a Walmart parking lot are going to get reported now. What do you think?
JOSH: If you’re hanging out in a parking lot of any sort, you probably should expect that cops can be called at any point. Yes, a Walmart parking lot is known for a quick overnight sleep by travelers, so, I seriously think this could happen to anybody. Definitely for a bunch of guys, rather they are a band or not, it may raise some suspicion to some people. Is it right? Who knows? Is safety a concern to you? Or not? Like I said, always two sides to things. Again, expect cops to be called at any point, if you want to prevent that, maybe don’t sleep in parking lots. Ha.
MARK: I wonder if this ever happens to Americana bands, where some of them look just like your average trucker?
9. People Are Going Wild For This Rant Tommy Lee Shared Against Donald Trump
MPAP: The rant/tweet is quite a bit long, so I'm not going to torture you to read it, but I will say this: should musicians talk or write about politics? In a way, it’s like their forcing their beliefs down our throats. What are your thoughts?
JOSH: I think we should stay out of politics and do what we are paid to do. Entertain and write music. Doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with politics or have your beliefs, but I definitely don’t think we should use our platform to voice our views, and yes, force our beliefs onto our audiences. There may be some opportunities that may allow you to go and speak your mind on political platforms, but on anything else, those things are just better left unsaid.
MARK: There are so many bands today getting involved with politics and religion. It’s become so predictable and nauseating. We’re here to entertain and create the experience where you can come to our shows and escape from all of that.
10. James Hetfield Calls Woman Who Used Metallica’s Music To Fend Off Cougar
MPAP: A young lady, was out walking her dog when off in the distance a cougar began to stalk her. She eventually played a Metallica song on her phone to scare it away, and it worked. She definitely had luck and the power of music on her side, right? What song of yours do you think would scare off a hungry cougar?
JOSH: I would probably say, a song off our Alive Lp called “One Last Thrill.” I guess the only reason I say that is cause it’s a banger and if that song don’t work, well darlin, it just may be your one last thrill trying to get away from that cougar! Ha. Hold up, we talking about the chicks from last night gig, right?! Ha.
11. While She Sleeps Release Free T-Shirt Design To Clue Fans Into How Much Streaming Doesn’t Pay
MPAP: This is what the design said: One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting a band. Sadly, buying music isn’t the same anymore. Back in the day, it used to be fun to buy an actual album or CD, don’t you think?
JOSH: I agree. I always dug having the physical copy of a band’s album, but that’s coming from a musician. I always enjoyed opening the album and seeing all the thought that went into it. From the pictures, to the lyrics, to reading the thank you notes by the band mates. I think you can still find a few of those die-hard fans that still want that physical copy. Not as much as when it was the only option. But hey, times are always changing, and we have to come up with a better way to get musicians paid for their talents with the new age of things.
MARK: Vinyl records have been making a comeback over the last few years… maybe it’s something we should look into for the next release.
12. David Hasselhoff Teams Up With Ministry Frontman For "Sweet Caroline" Cover
MPAP: All I can say is, this should be interesting. Hopefully, it’s not a train wreck for the Hoff. It's worth a listen to when it comes out though. What do you think of this collaboration?
JOSH: Definitely an interesting collaboration for sure. It’ll be worth the listen to see if that train stays on the tracks or it’s just the opposite, a total train wreck.
MPAP: What tv/movie actor would you like to cover a song with someday?
JOSH: I think if I could choose an actor to join forces with, it would probably be, Adam Sandler, cause I’m sure it would be one hilarious experience and none of the songs would ever make sense, and I’m still trying to figure out how he always ends up with the hot chick in the movie, ha. Or I would say, Matthew McConaughey, cause you know he’s smoking a fatty and playing a mean beat on those congas, alright, alright, alrightttttt, ha.
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Josh and Mark, for taking the time to answer these headline questions. We look forward to what Black Heart Saints does to finish out 2019 and beyond. Any last words for all your fans out there?
MARK: We’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. We hope to see our Texas fans at the shows we have coming up with Buckcherry next week. And for everyone else, stay tuned for more tour announcements.