Interview with Bone Shaker

Wisconsin's Bone Shaker play a classic style of metal and they have a new album out. They have also had a number of things going on since the last time I talked to them. So I recently had the pleasure of talking to guitarist/vocalist David "Gonz" Gonzalez to find out what they wee up to.

MM-It's been about a year and a half since I talked to you and a lot has happened for you guys since then. Let's start with the new album. Tell us about "Union".


Gonz - "Union" is a result of the last year of band life in Bone Shaker. We've done numerous shows, worked with various producers, management, label talks, other artists, and these are the songs we wrote in-between all those goings on.



MM-How does it compare with "Bang...you're dead"?

Gonz - It's a more honest representation of Bone Shaker than the first album. "Bang" was written primarily be myself in its entirety and then I would present the songs to the band. We recorded "Bang" rather quickly and though I'm very happy with the energy we captured, I think the songs could have been fleshed out more. Conversely, though the songs on "Union" are fleshed out and were written by the whole band giving input, I honestly prefer the energy captured on "Bang". In a perfect world, the next album will be the best of both worlds.



MM-Did you approach the writing and recording any differently on the new album?

Gonz - I was more open to input during the recording of "Union". There are moments on there that didn't exist until we were already recording. One good example is on "Promise Of Man". There was a short lead break after each course. That went out the window when Dan Rodic, the engineer, suggested I use an e-bow there. That's the weird sound you wind up hearing that kind of sounds Flute-ish. I also used it on the intro and outro of "In The Dark". Another example on "Promise" are the lyrics for the bridge. I wrote that as I was standing at the mic.



MM-What are some of your favorite tracks off of "Union"? Why do you like those songs?

Gonz - I lean towards "Union Of The Grave", "Hard Road Out", and "Take It All". It's all about the harmony guitars for me. I've always loved that.



MM-You are now on Firewalk records. How did that come about and what happened with Turkey Vulture records?

Gonz - Basically our contract with Turkey Vulture ran out. At the negotiating table they made us an offer we could refuse! Honestly, we also had some things on the table that didn't quite pan out. We were working with HM Marketing in Cleveland and doing some studio work with Don DeBiase which turned out some absolutely outstanding recordings. Flawless! Don has done work for Metal Blade, Victory, and worked with many great bands like Luna Mortis, Driver Side Impact, Epicurean, Beneath The Sky, and others. We did three songs at Chin Studios with him and we knew that maybe we shouldn't tie ourselves down with a label that wasn't really working for the artist in the end. The songs Don did with us are just immaculate works of art They were mixed and mastered by John Burke at Kobra Productions who was also in Forever In Terror. Unfortunately, three songs don't make an album! That's where FireWalk comes in. It's actually our own label which enables us to release material while still being able to negotiate a contract on our terms.

MM-Your song "We Are Iron" is now the theme song for the Milwaukee Iron Arena Football Team. You have been performing the song live at every home game aswell as on local cable TV. How did this arrangement come about?



Gonz - I ran into a local TV celebrity who was working in the Iron organization. I pitched the song idea to him and he loved it! I wrote the song and we recorded it all in a few days. They use it in their advertising as well at the home games.



MM-Do you play at half-time or what? Do you get to play any other songs at the games?

Gonz- Originally, we were set up directly in the end zone. We played the song as the team took the field. This didn't leave much time for the band once the game got going not to mention the footballs that came right at the band during game play! Later in the season, we moved to another part of the Bradley center where we were able to play the song as well as others for as long as we liked. We were so loud! You couldn't escape the metal! Now that the season has wound down, I don't think we'll be performing there much more. It was a cool ride and I think we were doing a good thing for original music locally.



MM-What kind of response have you been getting at these games?

Gonz - Pretty good. It's all about the football team but I think people were happy to get some bonus rockin' in their night.

MM-You played at Rocklahoma last summer. How did that go?

Gonz - How much time do you have? I'll tell you exactly how it went and you'll be the first to put it in print. Lot's of rain. We watched other bands. Lots of rain. We did our set in between rain and more rain. Did our press junket and TV and radio interviews. More rain. Now it gets interesting. What follows now is the absolute truth which can be verified by about the thirty people or so who were there as well as hospital records. There was a well documented storm on Saturday night when six super cells collided over the venue. It was unbelievable. Amp stacks blowing over, port-a-johns falling, drums rolling away! We took shelter from the sideways rain in the VIP tent behind the South Stage where we played. Next thing you know, security is yelling "Get out! Get out!" and the whole 60 by 50 by 40 foot truss system with the lighting and flown P.A. comes crashing down on the tent. Everyone got out, or so I thought. I was calling for Camille (my wife and bassist) and couldn't find her. I found Brian (drummer) and we went back into the wreckage fearing the worst. There were two security guards already in there and they were helping Camille out from between downed power lines in a foot of water. Her arm was severely crushed and the only thing that saved her life was that some road cases prevented the stage debris from going completely to the ground leaving her about three feet of headroom. We pulled her out, took shelter in a ticket booth that felt like it was about to blow away, and called for help. An ambulance rushed her out to the local hospital. Here's the amazing part...miraculously, she was the ONLY person injured when two stages collapsed in that storm. The Rocklahoma staff told the press NO ONE was hurt, Buried our story, and even fought compensation for our losses and medical costs. Don't fear printing this, it's one hundred percent true and prove-able.



MM-Did you have many shows planned for this summer?

Gonz - Actually just a few. We are doing shows but doing some auditioning for new band additions. Changes up our sleeve.



MM-So what is Bone Shaker doing that sets you apart from other bands?

Gonz-Staying true to ourselves. We refuse to do this extreme metal fad that everyone's on right now. Probably would be signed by now if we had but that's not us. We'll stay true to our sound and build a fan base that appreciates it and never let them down. Look at Iron Maiden. Almost thirty years later you know exactly what your getting and the quality is still there. People need a constant in there lives to come back to. That'll be us.



MM-In what areas do you think you need to improve?

Gonz-Consistency in our recordings. I think if we stick with Don Debiase and John Burke from now on, people will be extremely pleased. We may actually have them re-mix and re-master "Union" and if we do, you'll see a night and day comparison.

MM-What are some your favorite albums of 2009 so far?

Gonz - None yet. I'm still enjoying several from last year. Like In This Moment's "Dream", "Framing Armageddon" from Iced Earth, and "Appointment With Death" from Lizzy Borden. Actually a really good new album is "Virus" from Animal. Check it out!



MM-What do you hope to accomplish in the second half of this year?

Gonz - A bigger record deal! We have some meetings that we hope go well. Advertising dollars are what make or break a band first. Sure, the music and the band have to be good too, but first the world has to know you exist.



MM-If someone asked why should I buy your new album, how would you respond to them? Gonz- Because it's the perfect juicy center. It's not extreme metal which gets absolutely numbing after a few songs and it's not that lame American Idol bullshit everyone's being fed either.



MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would pick?

Gonz - Iron Maiden "Brave New World", WASP "Double Live Assassins", and Judas Priest "Angel Of Retribution".



MM-What do you think about the metal scene in general these days? What's good about it? How could it improve?

Gonz - What's good about it is its ability to survive without a lot of airplay. It's got great support from the industry even though you can't turn on the radio and hear the latest song from Kamelot. That's most likely because of the Internet. Never a shortage of live shows though. Where it needs to improve is less segregation. Too many times this show is just Black Metal while that one over there is Death Metal. This show's for Grind core and that ones for Prog Metal. Why can't we just have a variety of metal at a show? Metal is Metal! If you don't enjoy the band or style go have a beer for a moment. Band together and make this an even stronger genre. They do it in Europe but not so much here in the States.



MM-Is there anything else you want to say about your band, your music or anything else?

Gonz - Thanks for all the support we've gotten so far. Germany has been really outstanding and we promise we will get there. We're working on getting on a tour so don't lose faith, Bone Shaker will be coming your way eventually! As far as the critics go, some have put us down in the media. Don't listen to them, find out for yourself. Do your own thinking. That's how you Live Life Metal!

www.myspace.com/boneshakerinfo

Below is the link to the interview I did with Gonz back in early 2008.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/01/bone-shaker-interview.html