Backstage Pass - Klaymore - Interview

ATP

For the record, who's answering the interview?

KLAYMORE

Lee Prisby, and I am the vocalist and guitarist for the metal band Klaymore.

ATP

What is your band's name? How did you come up with that name?

KLAYMORE

Well, we wanted a name that was hard as crack, and we figured what better name for a metal band than a name that’s literally made of metal. That’s why we named ourselves after the Scottish highland claymore. We also wanted a name that was hard to make fun of, which I think we nailed because now that the Supreme Court legalized gay people we’re pretty sure you get fined by the ACLU and receive death and bomb threats from the populace of Tumblr for uttering the word “Gaymore” these days.

ATP

So who's in the band and what instruments do you each play?

KLAYMORE

George Kipilo is our bass player, and Bob Moore beats his skins for us. He’s also the drummer.

ATP

How would you describe your sound. What makes you unique?

KLAYMORE

Our sound ranges from melodic to thrashy, from old school to new school, and stops in most places in between. As for what makes Klaymore the most unique… probably that we’re one of the only bands I know of that gets hammered and films ourselves playing video games. Our “Game Drunks” series on YouTube has been very well received by our fan base.

ATP

What bands have influenced each of you?

KLAYMORE

All kinds of power, heavy, thrash, and folk metal bands. Most recently (and this really shines through on our new Helloween cover) my main vocal influence has been that guy who made the vine where he screams about Popeyes’ biscuits. Matching his passion and intensity will now be something I strive for. RIP.

ATP

How experienced are you on the stage, a virgin or whore?

KLAYMORE

We’re experienced and have been playing shows for a few years, but I guess we’d call ourselves prudes based on the given metaphor because unlike some metal bands, we don’t just go on stage and masturbate in front of everyone. We try to draw the line between good stage presence and just jacking each other off up there.

ATP

How would you describe your shows?

KLAYMORE

A ass beating. If you want to hear some notes get played really fast and a bass drum get doubley kicked while a guy screams about killing metroids and repressed high school memories, then you’ve come to the right place. If you also want the possibility of seeing people feed each other cold quesadillas while playing their instruments and a heartfelt rendition of TLC’s “No Scrubs,” then you have also come to the right place. Come watch us disappoint our parents at a venue near you.

ATP

Tell us about your favorite show and why?

KLAYMORE

The shows we do in the bigger venues in Pittsburgh are some of my favorite, especially when we play with bands that we like. Nothing ruins a show more than dealing with a shithead band and the posse of likeminded individuals that they brought with them. So, if you’re in a band, just remember: don’t be a dick. We played at a Pittsburgh gaming convention last year, and a zomebie/Halloween festival this year. Those were both pretty interesting times for us. In a good way. One involved us only playing songs I wrote about video games, and the other involved 3/4 of us not wearing pants.

ATP

Tell us about your worst show and why?

KLAYMORE

Worst show isn’t really much of a story. The band before us played a bunch of Pink Floyd covers and the crowd loved it because they were all a few decades older than our target audience. We got up and played and nobody got it. Still glad it happened though. Keeps everything in perspective for you and doesn’t let your head get too big. Can’t do much about it; just move on to the next one.

ATP

Tell Us About Your Dream Show, who you'd like to play with and where?

KLAYMORE

It doesn’t really matter where it is, but for my dream show, during our usual bass solo, Ice Cube would come out on to the stage and proceed to give each of us like ten mad high fives in a row and would then get on the mic and tell everyone repeatedly how he’d NEVER have dinner with the president and neither would we. He’d only stop when security escorts him off the stage and everyone would boo the staff even though they’re just doing their job and don’t actually have a problem with Cube. Yeah. Yeah, that would be sweet.

ATP

Do you have a record label and if not are you looking for one?

KLAYMORE

We don’t have a record label currently, and most indie bands are strongly against one. Obviously I wouldn’t be quick to drop creative control of my music by signing with a label, but I’m also not going to sit here and act like international advertising and touring the country wouldn’t be fun when someone else is in charge of figuring things out for a change. So, we aren’t currently looking for a label, but I won’t act like I wouldn’t be thrilled if Metal Blade hit us up for a contract. That’s a hint, Metal Blade.

ATP

What are your plans for the future, in a year, 5 years?

KLAYMORE

Continue doing what we’re doing and continue being the above average savages that we were meant to be. This year we got to play shows internationally and branched out further in our own country in terms of touring. We’ll hopefully be putting out a new album in 2016, so I’m excited about getting new Klaymore music to the public. Our last original song was released in 2014, so I’m looking forward to fully getting back into things.

ATP

Finally, do have any words on what Arm The Pit means to you?

KLAYMORE

I think Arm the Pit is doing some cool things for artists by giving them another platform to put their music on and doing these kinds of interviews. Any kind of promotion is a great help to artists because it’s a lot of work to do. Most bands starting out don’t tend to think about the marketing aspect that’s required of them. So, we’d like to say thanks for reaching out to us to do this interview and thanks for having our music on your site for the last few months.