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1.  How many musicians are in Hiatus Dawn?

    Hiatus Dawn is the brain-child of jOHNNY DEM.  One composer.  In its common state, it has 2 members in it live.  They often sound fuller and more ominous than a 5 piece!

 

2.  What are your favorite top 10 albums of all time?

I have been and continually am inspired by all types of heavy bands and strange music from the early metal days on up.   These are my current mood  and "ever changing" top 10 albums.  I recommend that you listen to all of these CDs if you get the chance.  There was a time when knowing how to play a guitar mattered. Here they are in no specific order... 

1.   Iron Maiden - Killers
2.  Dio - The Last in Line
3.  Metallica - Master of Puppets
4.  The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
5.  Alice in Chains - Dirt 
6.  Dream Theater - Images and Words
7.  The Cure - Disintegration
8.  NIN - Pretty Hate Machine
9.  The Police - Synchronicity
10. Rush - Moving Pictures

. . . of course there are many others.

 

3.  Your music is very unique for a band originating from Iowa.  Where did you get the ideas for your cool sound?

   I appreciate the compliment.   I can't necessarily explain my love for such minor key and dark sounding music?  I have a large imagination and I sometimes feel like the "Stephen King" of song writing.  I write songs that are based upon feelings found within the human psyche.  Whether it is a feeling of anger, lust, passion or fear......it's quite compelling.

    Human emotions are natural, and music is a constructive way to vent those emotions.   Overall though, I have always found heavier music to be both moving and quite powerful, much like a horror flick.   Which means you can expect stranger material from me in the future.

 

4.  Where did you get the name Hiatus Dawn and what does it mean?

    I have multi-meanings for the band name, but at its core is the fact that "there is a little Hiatus Dawn in all of us."   A darker side of thought that goes deep into hiding within each of us.  Day needs night.  We are the night.  The name fits our sound and the cinematic theme of my music.  We love it dearly.

 

5.  Where do you get your ideas for both the music and the lyrics?

    From the darkest corners of the mind, from bad dealings with fickle human beings as well as imagination.  Basically imagination mixed in with real world experiences.

 

6.  When is the next album coming out?

   Unknown?  I am currently concentrating all efforts on hitting the live circuit and we are continually sharpening our knives.  I want to take a serious look at the tracks being considered for a possible new album and decide which ones make the cut and exactly when to release it.  To me, writing hook laden tunes is easy. The new tracks being composed are very solid hitters.  I plan on shopping the material around and playing out the new tunes, getting reactions to the newer sound. Therefore, unknown...   

I recommend checking the LIVE page out from time to time to see what's going on with us live.

 

7.  Who are your favorite guitarists and which ones really shaped the  modern metal  sound, as we know it, in your opinion?

   I would have to say George Lynch is my all time favorite guitarist, because I like the anger in his playing.  The late Rhandy Rhoades (Ozzy) for taste and understanding of the instrument.  Robert Smith (The Cure) for taste and good use of guitar effects.  As for the most influential in metal and guitars?  Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi is first, he pioneered the first metal sound. Also, Metallica(Puppets Era) with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.  They created the standard modern sound for scooped distorted rhythms in metal today.   I also like John Petrucci and Steve Vai, as well as Michael Angelo for technical speed. Three chord out of tune trendy emo shit sucks....Rock and Metal are king!

Michael Angelo and jOHNNY DEM

George Lynch and jOHNNY DEM

 

8.  I know Hiatus Dawn is an original band as well as a cover band, and have heard your cover versions. Often, they do sound sicker than the original artist's!  What songs have you covered?  Which do you plan to cover in the upcoming shows?

   Covers have been done of bands by bands since the beginning of time. It requires skill to be able to play both originals and covers in a convincing manner. A band that can play out both originals and covers, equally well, says a lot about it's musicality.

   My policy towards covers is simple: 1. It must sound unique or improved to the original...adrenalized. 2. It must sound accurate and be played correctly or we do not do it.

COVERS currently being played out LIVE!:

Alice in Chains- Angry Chair
Alice in Chains- Nutshell
Alice in Chains- Them Bones
Alice in Chains- Would?
Black Sabbath- Paranoid
Black Sabbath- War Pigs
Bush- Machinehead
Coheed & Cambria- Welcome Home
Cream- Sunshine of Your Love
The Cure- Fascination Street
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- Relax
Green Day- Basket Case
Jane’s Addiction-  Jane Says
Led Zeppelin- Immigrant Song
Linkin Park- Numb
Metallica- Master of Puppets
Metallica- For Whom the Bell Tolls
Nirvana- Come As You Are
Pearl Jam- Jeremy
Puddle of Mud- Psycho
Rush- Tom Sawyer 
Smashing Pumpkins- Disarm 
Smashing Pumpkins- Zero
STP- S. Type Thing
U2- New Year's Day
Violent Femmes- Blister in the Sun
....more on the way!

 

9.  What type of gear are you guys currently using? 

    jOHNNY DEM: Guitars are Peavey V-Type (LTD. Editions and EXP) live.   Strings are D'Addario 9's.  Tuned to E flat.  I have signed with ROCKTRON technology for guitarists.  The guitars are currently run through a Rocktron VooDu Valve. The whole rig, from axe to speaker, is reinforced by Monster Rock/1000 cable,  which is fed into a dependable Rocktron Velocity 100 power amp.  Everything  then goes into a 2x12 cab.  My rig is controlled, on the fly, via a phantom powered Rocktron Midi-Mate foot controller.  I also use a BOSS AW-3 Dynamic Wah for mouthy colorization licks and a Digitech Hardwire HT-2 Chromatic tuner. A Furman PL Plus power conditioner caps off the rack.  Simple, yet very effective.  I also am endorsed by Everly Music's star picks, which are a wicked choice of plectrum.  Voices are currently running through a Shure wireless headset mic, which spills into an Alesis Quadraverb for drenched effects direct to P.A.. The headset mic  frees me up a lot more in order to perform, prevents me from being tethered to one place and looks sleeker than having mic stands blocking the view.  We usually play in mood lighting, fog or heavily strobed circumstances and I often can't see or find the mic in all the darkness and fury anyways.  I am still using the Boss Dr-5s for composing drum beats and synths.   They are being dumped onto a Boss Br-1180 digital recorder.  Sounds pure, punchy and crystal clear that way.  Easier to mix as well...causing Hiatus Dawn to sound very punchy.   It sounds killer indeed...   We have a strong desire to sound "studio" live.  Both the Rocktron Voodu Valve and Chameleon have helped give the guitars a more transparent sound.  Hands down, Rocktron and Boss make some killer sounding gear.

 

   MAPLE:  I currently use a Dean MAB1 Lazer with EMG-85Xs (tuned to E flat) and a sleek, black as night, Ibanez S 520EX loaded with Dimarzios (tuned to D flat).  Strings are D'Addario 10 's.  Its all patched into a Furman Power Plus conditioner, which juices up a Rocktron Velocity 120 power amp and is fed by a Rocktron Voodu Valve. The rig is injected straight into 2 Velocity S 1x12 speakers. A Korg rackmount tuner keeps strings in pitch. All controlled with a Rocktron Midi-Mate foot controller and Rocktron Hex pedal.  Monster cable throughout.   Everly star picks for string attack.   Modern! I had to rid myself of the old-school gear simply because the marshall amp I used to use blew up on me live! Having heard jOHNNY DEM's rig, the Rocktron gear sounds astounding and is as durable as a tank. The rig I use now is way angry and sounds very sick...  I am now quite addicted to Rocktron gear, hands down.  It sounds like oozing flesh...

 

10.   What are your feelings on the current state of affairs in music?

With MP3s taking over the scene, it now puts a new spin on what an album is. CD and high end audio quality have taken a back seat to convenience, low cost MP3s and ease of use in a damaging way. The labels began overcharging for their CDs and the people simply stole it back through Napster. Then the labels were forced to sell MP3s for couch change per song. The net caused a problem for labels and bands. Both labels and consumers mentioned have proven their greed.

Frankly, I would like to see MP3 die off. An album should be an experience. People have lost the experience, they refer to songs by track number rather than by song name and miss the opportunity to discover other tracks within the context of an album. Look around...CD stores have vanished. MP3 sounds very thin and cold, due to their compressed nature. People should be striving for 24-32 bit quality so they can really experience the music. I predict labels will steal it back by making a copy-proof medium that must be bought for reasonable album prices once again. People need music, but it has been cheapened in a sense thanks to downloadable MP3s. Hopefully they get it straight and charge no more than $12 for a record on the next go around. They should also return to signing new bands with actual ability and talent. Technology/computers have allowed talentless idiots to make music. Newer bands are unable to replicate their studio sound live.

   

 

11.  Who are your favorite bands and which have inspired you? What inspires you to write?

    They all have...Iron Maiden, The Sisters of Mercy, Metallica(Puppets Era), NIN, Dream Theater, Tool and so on...All music that is good inspires me to write, steal and pillage in order to draw new ideas.  I get ideas from live shows I watch and am constantly critiquing live bands and songs in my head.   Its all about being influenced by others and having a great imagination to create those bizarre original sounding tunes...

 

12.   I saw you guys live.  You guys kick serious ass...You kick the living crap out of the other bands!   How do you guys get to that level of playing?  Do you find it to be easy or difficult to play to the rhythm of machines?

     Appreciate the compliment.   I attribute all abilities to a natural concept of pitch, tight rhythmic playing and overall musicality, ability and composition. Its genetic. My father plays multiple instruments and i believe he has perfect pitch. I never use a tuner, yet I am perfectly in tune. There may be something there? I barely look at the neck when playing, because I am more dependent on feeling the emotion through hearing. To me, it is very natural to play with a tight symphony and create songs.  Its correct music.  Also, I am my own worst critic. 

To kill a myth for the ignorant out there, Drum machines/programming and perfect rhythms do not write themselves and are actually MORE demanding than most live drummers, of which I am a capable drummer as well. They force a true artist to play PERFECTLY tight and in key, like playing to a metronome. Programming music from scratch requires you to be a well rounded song writer/musician in order to compose from the point of view of a drummer, bass player or keyboardist; in addition to guitars and voices.  Perfect rhythms are unforgiving to amateurs and complimentary to pros.  Weak players will stick out like a sore thumb in such a live scenario.   In other words,  perfect rhythms require perfect playing.  You have to be "in the pocket." Essentially, they have made me a better monster. 

Send all questions to:  

They will be screened and personally answered by jOHNNY DEM.

 

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