- Hello, Dave! In July you are going to have a tour through Europe. How is the preparation going so far? What do you expect from this tour?
- The tour will be sick!! We are going to hit the road with Germany’s slam death band, Lower Than Zero, which has joined us recently. We are excited to have them aboard. Tour will take place July 9 – 18, 2015. We are rehearsing through the 20 year catalog, so there are going to be something from each release and older songs added to set list that we haven’t touched since the mid ‘90’s. We have had a 5 year break for personal reasons and we feel fresh and rejuvenated for this to happen. Will be our 20th Year Anniversary, it is a special occasion for us. We can’t wait. Time to bring the pain... Everyone better come out and rage with us! The only negative is that we don’t have the chance to stay longer, so there is a lot of places we will miss. Especially Paris, France. Hopefully there will be some road trip travelers from your area that might see us along the way at some point. - What is the current line-up? Have there been any recent changes within the band? - We are still the line up from “To Desecrate And Defile” release. Myself (guitar/backing vocals), Von Young (guitar/lead vocals), Garrett Scanlan (drums), Jake Lahniers (bass/backing vocals). There is no need for change when this is the best set up for Lividity. We are all great friends, excited for the band’s activities, and no stress from anybody. The machine rolls forward and as strong as we have ever been. We are ready to make history again and put this band back on the map!
- Have you already decided on the set-list or is it still an ongoing process? Will there be any surprise for your fans?
- Yeah, we have a strong set list ready I think. I won’t give much away from the list, but we will play the essential cuts that will make the fans go insane... We will bring in some older cuts that this line up hasn’t played yet (since early days), and will make the fans go insane!! We are pleased with the final list! Now we rehearse the list and perfect it for the people to enjoy and sing along! As for surprises for the fans, I don’t think we will pull a punch to create a “surprise”, the shows are just going to be full of aggression and insane... That will be the surprise!! - Let's talk about your music. Which of your songs are your favorites and why? - Hmmm, there are a lot of songs to choose from. All I can do is break it down by album... “Rejoice In Morbidity” E.P. 1996 – Tampered Flesh because that song has the best lyrics wrote from first drummer, Tommy Davis and Orifice Reconstruction because that is first song written by full Lividity band... “Fetish For The Sick” CD 1997 – Lacerations Of An Unclean Twat because that song is such a slam, groove tune that makes you want to beat someone into submission, but Pussy Lover is a great one too as it has become the “anthem” for the band and started the sexy Lividity movement and the general public of metal said we would fail using these issues in our songs. That it has no place in the death metal world. Haha look where it got us people! We didn’t want to sing the “cliché” lyrics about zombies, maggots, corpses, graveyards or Satan in every song. We are true men!! “The Age Of Clitoral Decay” CD 2000 – Stench Of Virginity because that song has the perfect combination of grind meets groove meets break down and Anal Action Wife for the break down in the middle of that song. It’s bad ass (no pun intended, hehe) plus all these “bitch songs” are about my ex wife and the other band members fucked up relationships we have encountered! “Til Only The Sick Remains” CD 2002 – T.L.C. (Tight ‘Lil Cunts) because that song is a major rager from start to finish. It has a couple music breaks that set’s up the following riffs. I love it! Also Anal Autopsy as there is a cool solo in it from our buddy Tom Bradner that played guitar for the band Num Skull... “Used, Abused And Left For Dead” CD 2006 – Raped For Rent because that song is full of energy and the riff structures slice you like a razor!! And also the title track. Used, Abused And Left For Dead as that song has a lot of old school Lividity formula to it. A great shorty and the tomahawk chop breaks in it is like hacking with an axe... “To Desecrate And Defile” CD 2009 – This is a tough one as that whole album is something special for us. The songs that stick out for me I guess would be Funerary Chambers (has an evil aura to it), Orgasmic Flesh feed (Jake wrote it and it’s a great song), Cadaver Dogs (Von wrote it and has such a great creeping groove meets the perfect break down), Dismantle The Carcass (an “in your face” old school Lividity shorty), Surrounded By Disgust (great collaborations from all 4 of us in the band), the Blood covers (why?? Because it’s Blood)...Von has a great range and variety of vocal styles throughout this release. Well, you get the picture. Ask me tomorrow and all of these “favorites” will probably change... haha.
- Why did Matt Bishop leave the band? Are you still in touch with him?
- I will be honest about this whole situation. And it’s no beating around the bush or pussy footin’ the issue as I have never spoke in depth about any of this with anyone. I have appreciated all efforts and musicianship from each band member I have jammed with and the progress with new heights it always led too. There was a time in 2004 shortly after James Whitehurst (drums) left the band in August I felt a strong urge to take myself out of the band as I thought that if there was no Dave there was no Lividity. So I quit October of that year. Was going to lay low and re surface again when it felt right with all new band. Drama and extra negatives were getting old and the band was reaching new heights that had to be accomplished professionally and strategically. With everyone on the same page. 2 – 3 weeks later, Matt wants my consent that he will carry on the Lividity name and bring Jordan Varela (Lust Of Decay drummer). I called Jordan myself and he is pumped up and says all the right things to keep me aboard. We would have to fly Jordan in for rehearsals and gigs, splitting the airfare between the 4 of us. That was fine with me, but Matt wasn’t able to pitch in every time and I was paying for 2 of us. Not a big deal at this point. But Matt brought Jordan into the band without thinking it all through. We play our first show with Jordan May 8, 2005 in Germany at Fuck The Commerce Fest. I don’t know what happened at the airport on our way home after a fun blast in Germany, but Matt snapped on Jordan for no reason and when we got back I talked with Jordan and we felt it was best maybe Matt should take a break. He had a lot on his mind and very edgy. Brings a person down when you are trying to have fun. So, I called Matt and explained the situation and he didn’t want to accept it, but it is reality. There had to be a change or there would probably be no more Lividity. I called Von and he graciously accepted the task and I knew he would be professional and stellar with his performance. It was a great move for us, and the band is bigger than ever at this point because of the wise and strategic moves to get the band we have today. The best Lividity yet. You are the first to hear it, the first to print it, and this is the straight up facts, with no bullshit story, and no slam on Matt. If you want me to talk about each band member’s departure I can do so. It might take another full page. With Matt it has been an on going situation with mental stress and hardship’s. So after 10 years this band needed freshen up and tighten the screws. As for Matt and I still in contact... we have been long time friends, been through a lot together. I respect him as a member of Lividity. Without Matt, this band would not have taken off. We have not been so much in contact since 2012 as he was doing the Central Illinois Metal Fest’s (spin off from Von’s fest) and that year Matt did a Lividity type of tribute with the older cuts with all new guys... It was cool, no problems, but when my friend and South American partner writes me and asks my opinion about bringing the Lividity tribute side show to Bogota, Colombia (that Matt was trying to set up) I wasn’t going to accept that. Matt has enough talent to create a band and put it on the map with something fresh (although it takes a little work and promotion) but maybe playing Lividity songs is a quick opportunity and no work involved. This is a partial reason why I contacted the Lividity guys and said we should get together and do something special again. If Lividity is going to be “show cased” in other countries then it should be Lividity. The response for the reunion shows coming up at Las Vegas Death Fest (June) and Europe tour (July) have been overwhelming. We thank all of you for the never ending support!!
- How did Von Young join you? Can you say that with Von Lividity entered a new era? And what was the fans' reaction when you announced that he would join the group for the first time?
- I called Von 20 minutes after talking with Matt. I have been friends with Von for a few years and Lividity played some great shows locally and outta state with Von’s band, Deaden. I knew what he was made of and how much passion he had for brutal music and was the creator in the ‘90’s of Central Illinois Metalfest that were real cool and successful. Von is pure metal!! The new era did begin when he joined the band. Learned the new material we had written for Used, Abused And Left For Dead, wrote an extra song himself (Seven19) and we were in the studio within 2 months of his arrival for that release. I think the fans may have been a little shocked at first because Matt was with the band for 10 years, but once they witnessed the shows the fan base grew and the opportunities were greater. I have never regretted any of the moves this band has made to carry on and step it up a notch. This by far was a great move for us. - Imagine there is a guy who doesn't know anything about Lividity. If you could recommend him only one album from your discography, which one would it be and why? – Haha, that’s too easy... To Desecrate And Defile for sure. The best album attack with the best creative vibe and the samples in the right spots. I want everyone to hear this recording as it is a true representation of Lividity and the album I have wanted to create my whole life. It took a while to get the perfect album, but well worth the wait. Every aspect and angle of the music, lyrics, vocal styles, intros are in perfect sequence. - Where do you find the intros with sick dialogues which we can hear while listening to your songs? And how do you decide if they fit the track? - All of us bring our lap top computer or CD samples taken from movie bytes. Decide which songs we want sample on and then pick out the best samples we have ready. Start placing them in once the CD is getting ready to be mixed / mastered. We usually know which samples will fit which song in advance and then there are a couple we experiment with. We are better at it these days. They make more sense. Some of the older releases get confusing especially when you start a song with a sample of porn talking about pussy, the song title is about ass fucking, and the lyrics talk about fucking rubber dolls... hahaha it’s all over the place, but so confusing it works, haha - Probably, the most vital question - when can we expect a new album from Lividity? Do you already have any ideas regarding the upcoming material? - We have discussed doing some new material. We have not started putting our ideas together. We are just having fun right now putting together a set list for the upcoming shows from the catalog of albums we have. It gives us a chance to work on older stuff that this band has not played since the mid ‘90’s. When we are getting band member changes, teaching them the essentials, and writing new material all at the same time, we tend to leave out some great songs. Maybe 2016 we will start putting something together.
- Tell us a bit about Embrace Damnation. What is the band's status?
- Embrace Damnation was created by Joe Hoctor (guitar) which I have played in a thrash band with him in the past called Section 8 (1994-1995). He had these great ideas with the music. They were very heavy and textured that were amazing. I wrote all the lyrics and sang them on the demo recordings with drum machine. When it came to taking it to the studio we hired in Garrett (Lividity drummer) and also friend Sean Fraser to do all lead guitar. It is a dark, unholy passage to the under world and philosophy to what really was going on in the beginning of time. Blasphemy meets hatred meets majestic structures. The CD “Glory Of A New Darkness” 2009 was the only release we created. We did 2 shows in 2010 as we hired in Jake Lahniers (Lividity bassist) and Tomek Spirala on lead guitar for the live shows. When I took the break from Lividity in 2010, unfortunately Embrace Damnation had to break as well. - Playing in a Death Metal band is not always enough to have all your bills paid on time, do you and your band members have any other jobs? What hobbies do you have? - For sure we all have jobs. That is how we survive in life and support our families. I work as a janitor at a college. Von works for the city. Jake works in a steel factory. Garrett works as a supervisor at one of the biggest music shop franchises in America. Hobbies?? The music for sure! It’s our escape to create the perfect art for us that is called Lividity. - How do you like being signed by War Anthem Records? Do you feel that you get the needful support from your label? - War Anthem was the best label for Lividity and the greatest guys. After the long break we just had we start fresh I guess and just start by having fun again and playing killer shows. We don’t want to think of business at this point. We may eventually get back to that way of living as a band again. But right now we have a great tour/management agency in Europe (The Flaming Arts Agency), have multiple licensed products with merchandise and music world wide. We are just having fun and still moving product. - That's all from my side. Thank you for the interview, Dave. Feel free to say some words to your fans. - Thanx Dima and the French metal community for the great years of support and helping us stay successful. You all rule!! We hope to make it to France real soon and we are working on it. So hopefully it will be well worth the wait. Keep supporting the bands that support the scene and stay sick!! Cheers Support Lividity on Facebook |