DieMonsterDie: Graveyard Shock n' Roll from Salt Lake City

 Being a huge fan of both horror and rock, I was very excited to stumble on a band that mixes horror imagery with dark rock and roll. What was even more astounding was that this band, whose videos I had worked my way through on YouTube, was from Salt Lake City!

I sent a request to Meatwhistle, the band’s drummer, to see if he would be willing to answer some questions for an article. I was very excited when he responded by not only accepting my request, but by sending me a collection of DieMonsterDie’s music. I must admit that after listening to a large cross-section of their music, I was very impressed. Their style seemed to range from straight-up punk to a rock/metal fusion. Over the span of the three albums that I had a chance to listen to, there is an obvious evolution and improvement in song writing, musicianship, and overall presentation.

Catching my eye in the beginning was their use of costumes and make-up effects in their stage show and music videos. This concept is not new. However, the personas created by DieMonsterDie fit perfectly with the vibe that their music conveys. It makes their music more enjoyable to listen to and their videos more enjoyable to watch… especially for those who are fans of horror.

DieMonsterDie hail from the land of Zion: the land of Mormons, Elizabeth Smart, the Osmonds, Larry King's wife, and Ted Bundy's execution. This snippet, taken directly from DieMonsterDie’s website mentions some of the things that Utah has been known for in the past. However, if DieMonsterDie continues on the path that they have been on, we will be able to list their name somewhere between the Osmonds and Elizabeth Smart… Here is the interview:

Me: Would you give us a rundown of who is in the band and what they play?
Meat: DieMonsterDie is:
• Zero Delorean: Vocals/Guitar
• Laverne Lavey: Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals
• Raven Blades: Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals
• Meatwhistle Drums
This is the original line up of the band that began many years ago, we have had other players - but we are happy that the original four guys are together, the way it should have always been.

Me: How did this incarnation of DieMonsterDie find each other and how long have you been together?
Meat: We have been friends and played in bands for many years, it is hard to find people to form a unit of anything that truly work together as brothers. We seemed to have found that. DMD has been together and performing for, going on 10 years. Feels like only yesterday!

Me: I read on your website that DieMonsterDie actually began as a different band. Would you give us a quick history of DieMonsterDie and how you guys evolved into being the band that you are today?
Meat: Yes, as I mentioned we have been friends and played together for quite sometime before "the name change" The band started as a GG Allin/Horror-obsessed punk band called Casa Diablo. In 1997, we released our first album "The Continuing Mission to Destroy Rock N Roll". Casa Diablo was only together for a few years. We even did a full west coast tour before we took a break and tried other musical styles. It wasn't long before we got back together and decided to go the full monty; Monster Masks, Suits and all. It is really what we had been doing all along to a lesser degree. It wasn't until we finally were internet savvy enough to figure out there was an underground style of music similar to ours, called Horror Punk. We have always thought of ourselves as a shock rock/metal/punk/horror punk band.

Me: I've been listening to your music constantly since I got my hands on it. On your website you classify yourselves as "Horror Punk", however, it seems like you have more of an eclectic mix of sound. I think that I would have a hard time classifying your music into one genre. I can definitely hear the influence of bands like The Misfits or 45 Grave in your stuff, but it seems to be much more diverse than just that. How would you classify yourself?
Meat: I would agree totally - each member of the band has a huge gallery of music genres they pull from. I would even daresay bigger than almost anybody. On any given day, you can hear Dark Throne to Morrissey, from The Ramones to White Chapel, and so on. Coming from such a republican/religious state as Utah, we always knew what ever we did; we want it to be unacceptable to your average Joe. We always have considered ourselves Shock Rock. Zero writes more of a punk Ramones style, while Laverne writes a lot more metal; they mesh very well together. We are always open to any ideas that a member brings to the table. We have never considered DMD to be a cookie cutter band. If we like it and it sounds good, we will use it. As far as Genres I would say, it is all Rock N' Roll at the end of the day!

Me: How, would you say, your music evolved over the years?
Meat: I think it really has a lot to do with growing up. When you’re a kid you’re less likely to let other forms of music in. As you get older you started to listen to something else and go: Hey that ain't so bad. When we began, we where a straight forward Punk band, but as we grew together, we branched out, and opened the door to other styles of music... You know? We allowed them (other styles of music) to be in the music we write. I would say we have grown away from the straight forward punk and open the door to whatever feels right.

Me: What kind of touring have you done in the past? Are there any plans to tour in the near future? What about live shows in the SLC area?
Meat: We have toured the West Coast in the past; we would love to do it again. It’s just a matter of the right opportunity. We have quite a few fans over seas. I would love to head to Europe. Our ultimate goal would be to tour Japan. No telling what will happen next. All I do know is that no matter what happens it will be good.

Me: What made you decide to align your music with horror imagery? How did you choose your costumes?
Meat: Zero is a master Wordsmith and writes great lyrics. They always seem to be geared towards horror, the depressed, bad luck or the dead. It has been this way since the time we were Casa Diablo. I think the monster suits came along as an extension to the music, and to the people in the band. There is a lot to be said for imagery on stage. It adds many layers to the music, and in some cases makes the music more appetizing to someone who may not have liked it at first. Zero put it best once. He said “It is much more interesting to see a bunch of monsters on stage than four guys in baggy shorts and backwards baseball caps”... I agree!

Me: Can you give us a list of your top 10 favorite DieMonsterDie tunes in your opinion? Would you give us a little bit of backstory for each?
Meat: I think that would be best for Zero to describe, we have released 5 studio albums and are working on our 6th right now, I would have to say my Favorite at this time, would have to be the new stuff we are recording. Here are some titles, perhaps you can figure out what they are about: She Looks Like You, Lika the Space Dog Will Have Her Revenge, From Screaming Graves We Rise, Covered in Blood, Dressed Like a Whore, and last, but not least, A Priest and a Zombie Rent a Fishing Boat as Friends!

Me: How has SLC treated you? What are some of the pros and cons that you've experienced being a horror-themed band in SLC?
Meat: Salt Lake City is a great place to be. We have grown up here and it is where we are proud to be from. That said we are the ONLY monster suit wearing horror rockers in town, so at our shows we get great response and plenty of support. We would love to see thousand of Utahns coming out to our shows, and buying our albums. I think one drawback is SLC has always seemed just a bit behind the current trends. So maybe in five years more opportunities will present themselves. We have been praised in magazines and we have been slagged. It goes with the territory. Either you love us, or hate us. There is no in-between.

Me: What are your thoughts of the music scene in SLC overall, and do you see yourselves being able to thrive here?
Meat: SLC's Music scene is great! It comes and goes. It seems like it slows down in the summer and comes back up in the colder months. I think the metal scene is great and seems to always stay strong. Dusty at Club Vegas has done quite a lot to make sure metal bands have a home. I think that has a lot to do with it. It also really helps when you have clubs that support and want to see the scene thrive, like Jeremy at Burt’s Tiki Lounge. Jeremy cares for the whole scene: punk, Meat, psychobilly, you name it. I think people like that keep the cold heart beating sometimes.
DieMonsterDie will thrive no matter what, 10 people or 10,000 people, we have seen the bottom, and we have slithered from it. Ha!

Bonus Question:
What are your favorite horror movies and why?
Meat:
• Suspense/Horror: The Exorcist, The Elephant Man, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dead Alive, Die Monster Die!, anything with Karloff
• Funny Horror: Evil Dead Series, Dead Alive, Toxic Avenger

My moods change. Sometimes I am down for a good slasher movie; sometimes I am in the mood for creepy movies that make you think. The one thing I love that they all have is that feeling of despair or impending doom. I like that feeling a lot… don’t you?

For more information on DieMonsterDie, make sure to visit their official site . There you will find more information about the band and information on how to purchase their albums. However, my favorite thing about the website is the selection of tracks that they have playing in the background. Make sure to visit their site and check their music out for yourself!  They also have a MySpace page.
Here is their video for One Night at Devils Rock.