THE DEMISE OF A LIFE ONCE LOST

It is I, Maris The Great!…Since the rest of your mortal band is too afraid to speak to me, you shall answer my questions! First question, how does it feel to be playing Ozzfest?

Bobby C: It feels like like i just witnessed my puppy being gutted alive with a dent puller.

Um….OK…I’ll take that as a good thing…I think…anyway, so how did the band begin?

Bobby C: We were just a young group of dudes that liked drinking beer in garages and basements after school…occasionally, we would play guitar and drums and yell into a mic.  All of the sudden, you are in the coolest band ever.

What is the Philly scene like?

Bobby C:The Philly scene is pretty diverse. There are lots of cool bands and plenty of clubs to play in the city and generally, people are somewhat open minded. It is also great because we have Sean Agnew who runs R5 Productions, the only non-clear channel promoter. He keeps this scene we have in Philly fun and intimate.

What was your very first show like? Where was it and what was the response?

Bobby C: The first show i played with the band was in a VFW hall in South Jersey, I believe. There was probably 300 people there and i vaguely remember someone throwing those metal fold-able chairs around. It was really fun seeing that type of crowd reaction…you know, just dudes getting wasted and beating on all of their friends.

Many bands begin their groups simply for the fun of it. At what point did this get serious?

Bobby C: Once we hooked up with Ferret Records, we pretty much became a full time touring band. Ya know, we tried to take ourselves serious before that, but you can only be so serious without the right support from a label, booking agent, or  manager. At first, when we were trying to do this full time, no one in the industry really wanted to help us, and it is hard to move forward without that type of backing.

How did you get signed to Ferret?

Bobby C: We’ve known Carl of Ferret for a long time now. Bob M used to book shows in Philly, and he booked Carl’s band NORA . We have always had a good relationship with Carl and Ferret. He wanted to sign us, and we liked and respected his work. It felt good so we went for it.

For so many local bands, getting signed is the end all and be all. How did getting signed effect the band as a whole?

Bobby C: Technically, Ferret is the 4th label we have been on. I’ve been dealing with labels since i was like 17 yrs old so it is just business to me. I mean, we are obviously a band that only cares about drugs, money and sluts so getting signed fucking worked out on that end.

Do you ever feel amazed at how long you’ve been doing this and how far you’ve come?

Bobby C: Yes. I can’t believe this machine has been running for so long. Every now and then, you gotta fix a part or replace a gear but it is quite impressive to see a band like this grow. We always joked when we were young about how funny it would be if we ever got a big tour like Ozzfest, or how we would never be on a tour bus. And now that is all happening. It’s just strange to get something you’ve always wanted. ALOL ’06 making dreams reality.

How has the scene you’ve come from reacted to how far you’ve gone?

Bobby C: People get jealous at how cool I am and how sick my riffing has become, but that’s just the haters. Don’t hate on me, hate the scene. For the most part, all my friends are supportive and sometimes way more stoked than me.

How does the band interpret success?

Bobby C: Success is waking up on a floor covered in vomit and pussy juice with empty plastic bags and broken bottles cutting into your skin.

You would make a most acceptable zombie…except for the part about pussy juice…..Do you think massive commercial success, like on the level of say…Metallica, can ruin a Metal band?

Bobby C: Yes

Would it ruin your band?

Bobby C: In this era of metal, if you don’t start a band with the intention of being a top 10 commercial act. The climb to that point is very difficult.  We aren’t the type of band that will appeal to a pop market, and we never will be. I would make sure A Life Once Lost is buried before it got to that point. You have to sell out to be a commercial act.

Let me talk some about the music. There seems to be a real tight groove to your music. I can dance to it. Where did the groove come from?

Bobby C:The groove aspect of our music can be traced to influences such as Sabbath, Candiria, Meshuggah. We have always been a fan of groove metal. Smoke weed and fucking feel the brutal rhythmic pulses.

I hear a Southern Rock vibe in your sound as well. Am I right or am I right? Where did that come from?

Bobby C: Yeah, the Southern Rock side of our music is a favorite of mine. We all came up listening to shit like David Allen Coe, CCR, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Soundgarden. These are just some of the acts that have put a southern scar on our music.

Are there any plans to mixing singing parts with the screams, as many bands are doing these days?

Bobby C: We don’t plan on that but we will not put limits on what we do creatively. If it sounds good, and works well for the song, we will do anything.

Going through each of your releases, give me an overview

Bobby C: Open Your Mouth… LP- Immature songs, but a hometown favorite. Metalcore before Metalcore had a name. The Fourth Plague: Flies EP- My first recorded album with the band. quick and fast songs that influenced bands such as As I Lay Dying  A Great Artist LP- A big FUCK YOU to anyone who tried to predict us. As we were starting the writing process, every band was trying to do this euro Metalcore thing (similar to The 4th Plague). We wanted to separate ourselves from that, and we sure did. Hunter LP- Everything we have wanted to do for the past couple years has come out on this record. Pounding drums and big solos.

HUNTER was your first release where you worked with a producer. Was that the record company’s Idea, or the band’s?

Bobby C: It was a collective decision to work with a producer. With A Great Artist, Eric Rachel kinda produced a little, but he was more of an engineer. We felt we needed to experience a full on production with Hunter.

Why did you end up working with Rob Caggiano?

Bobby C: At the time, Rob was in Anthrax. He had some time off and he wanted to work with us. We liked his approach and his fresh look on our songs so it fell into place. But most of all, we love his eating habits such as a Cheeseburger with Oysters.

Let’s pretend you were gay and all of the guys in Bury Your Dead gay. Who in that band would you most want to fuck…and why?

Bobby C: I think I would most like to fuck Mr. Castillo because he is just oh so pretty and, I once saw him shit in a slurpie cup and I got turned on!!