TUNGSTEN

How would you describe Tungsten´s music?

"TUNGSTEN is deeply rooted in metal, but we have some elements of doom, classic rock, stoner, hardcore or whatever we have the urge to play when we are writing songs. There's not really one style that we are committed to. Whatever feels right at the time is what comes out. About 90% of the bands that are out now play niche marketed and formulated music that is geared towards a certain demographic, because the record labels and short attention span MTV generation are too lazy to find something that isn't served to them in a labeled wrapper at Wal-Mart that let's the listener know what the entire album of these artists will sound like with out straying from the blueprint. Mark Talamo and myself have been making music together since 1985, and we really love the challenge of changing our songs each time we put out an album. I think that's the thing that really sets us apart is that each song has it's own identity. Most bands are too concerned with making it and the actual passion to play has left their soul in the pursuit of a fast buck. But as I always say, we do what we do and we do it for us. What happens to whoever listens to our stuff, whether it is good, bad or indifferent is purely a coincidence. We are strictly in this to entertain ourselves".

How has "The Abuse" been received in the underground?

"So far it's been pretty good, the album has been out since April 2003 and there has been positive press from magazines, zines, internet radio, friends and fans from all over the world. We have a cult following of people that like what we do. We are an underground band that enjoys staying on the fringe of the underground. We were not made to be anything else but that. I'm a music fan that likes the under dogs of the underground. A lot of those bands still have the fire in their belly and the passion to make music that has depth. I think that is what keeps us going is that we are the under dogs and that we do still have that fire in us. This is not our job it's a way to express our emotions sonically. We haven't and will never sell our soul to have the masses bow at our feet and we plan to keep it that way".

Why did you decide to put all your songs on the Internet?

"To be honest with you we made that choice because when we were signed to some of the independent labels, some of them really didn't have a great distribution system to get the records in all of the stores at the time. This was before the internet really took off like it did. So when it came time to record our 4^th album, "The Abuse" we knew that we were going to start our own company and issue the album out ourselves. So after seeing all of the shit that was happening with a lot of the "artists" that were against file sharing. I laughed at these fucking babies. We all talked about putting the entire album up on our website as well as our back catalog of songs. So mainly we put out the record like we did to get heard and to piss off these spoiled brat bands that have never worked a hard day in their life and mostly to help destroy the record companies that try to dictate what the public gets to hear. A lot of the other bands would give out 20-second samples and expect people to buy their product based on that. I think that's a joke. They are too worried about profit. They are too worried that internet file sharing will make them have to get a real job one day. These "artists" said that are getting ripped off, but it's the record companies that have been ripping them off for years. For the RIAA to actually issue out lawsuits against 12-year-old kids for downloading music because they are not making the money that they use to really is a shame. The RIAA is trying to scare everybody and tell them that they are breaking the law, but it's really all about profit to these jokers and I hope that what we've done by being the first band to have the balls to let everybody download our stuff for free, that other bands jump on the bandwagon and really help to fuck shit up in the industry. But most of the bands out there today are looking to become millionaires, because they don't want to work, so they will never go up against the system like we did, they are and will always be puppets. Again like I said, we did this to entertain ourselves and to cause a lot of problems in the record industry and it is doing just that".

What are "The Abuse" lyrics about?

"The general theme of the record is about overcoming adversity. Whether you walk through the door of bad situations on accident or on purpose and being able to dust yourself off after all is said and done and stand on top of the rubble of whatever stood in your way of freedom, happiness, wisdom or prosperity. It's about losing everything at the beginning, then taking all of those lessons and road blocks that life throws at you and using them to better yourself to win in the end".

How is the process of composing a Tungsten lyric?

"We write about personal experiences and how they affected us at the time. Life has a way of dealing shitty cards to you. What I've gone through in the last 2 years is what most people go through in 20 years. I don't look for sympathy, or for people to feel sorry for me. I have ways of working through things when they are dished out in high volumes like they have been. I don't sit and dwell on it. I will write lyrics about it, Mark and I will put it to music, we'll record it and we move on. The lyrics are basically a journal or a picture of where we were at that time the song was written. Life is hard for everybody and if you knock on your neighbor's door and ask him or her about their hardships or woes it will always be worse than your own. So knowing that this is true, it helps me to stay focused and to keep pushing forward. If and when you give up the fight, that's when you die".

Why did you left Pavement and Megarock Records and decided to create Tungsten Music Recs?

"Pavement did an ok job to promote the first album "183.85" here in the USA, but we made more of an impact in Europe at the time. We wanted a label that would help us in that market so we went with Megarock who were based out of Sweden, which is not that far away from the Euro market that we were trying to crash into at the time. Megarock had a lot of potential, but they flaked out after the deal was made. Megarock made more promises than a drunken sailor makes to a hooker on a Saturday night in a Bangkok brothel. Then we signed with another independent called Lighttown based out of Holland for the 3^rd album called, "The Survival Kit". It was run by a local business man in Holland that tried his best to help us, but he had more experience with local hardcore acts than with a national metal act, so we decided that for the 4^th record we'd do it ourselves so we could control how it gets released and how it gets in the hands of the public. We knew that we were going to issue the entire album out for free on our website years ago, so we knew not to mess with any other labels because they wouldn't go for that, they are too worried about making a large profit. So that's why we started up Tungsten Music Records".

Do you have plans of adding a second guitarist in the future or do you feel comfortable as a trio?

"I like the fact that it's only 3 of us in the band. Most of the time it's only Mark Talamo and myself that do a majority of the writing, so it's more of a two-piece like it was when we first started back in 1985. Steve Talamo our bassist, does come in when it's time to really get the songs tight and to record them, but for the most part it's just Mark and myself. I couldn't see being in a band with a lot of members in it. I think that's why we've stayed together so long. The more cooks you put in the kitchen the more people argue and cause friction".

Do you have plans of doing gigs to support "The Abuse"?

"At this time we do not have anything planned or lined up in the near future. We are more of a recording band than a live band. We get more enjoyment out of crafting the tunes, than we do playing a gig to be honest with you. There is only one club in New Orleans that caters to metal/hardcore bands. All of the other clubs love the bands that play covers. When we do play we only like to play for about 45 minutes to an hour, but the club owners want the bands to play tons of cover version of songs and play for 5 hours so they can sell more alcohol. We'd rather be in the studio recording our music than to deal with all of that shit".

What equipment do you use live and in studio?

"I play a 1981 Gibson black flying-V guitar. I run through a Marshall 4x12 cabinet and play through a Crate head. I use a Boss Super Overdrive pedal, a delay and a gate to keep the hiss down and I use 13 gauge strings because we tune down to "C". We've done that since 1986.That's what I use live and when we record. All of the recording gear is at Mark Talamo's house. When we were younger we invested in good recording equipment. He has a 24-track Alesis digital recording system, a 24-track mixing board. A ton of microphones to mic up his drums and my cabinet. Mark is a perfectionist that takes his time and knows what he's doing. He's recorded all of our records as well as the second CROWBAR album in 1993 and the very first DOWN demo in 1992. The guy has a great reputation when it comes to recording music. He does it well. I've been blessed to work with him over the years. He's also a great drummer and a great arranger when it comes to the TUNGSTEN songs".

Any final words?

Interviewed by Federico Marongiu