Band: WhipKraft, interview with Vena Kava and Mike Desmond

whipkraft.com
myspace.com/whipkraft

AFRESH: What got this band together and started in this business?
Vena Kava: I started the band originally in San Francisco, but the project was not yet really the sound I was looking for.  In 2007 I moved to the east coast and was inspired to create a pure evil sound — 100% power metal!  I met Mike Desmond in Boston, now WhipKrafts lead guitar player, and that is when all hell broke lose!

AFRESH:Who writes and produces all the material for the band?
Mike Desmond: Both me and Vena.

AFRESH:Where can people access your music on the web?
Vena: Our music can be found anywhere online. Amazon, i-tunes, and many other such sites.  You can torrent it too, we found plenty of sites that torrent ou music..hehe.

AFRESH:Any embarrassing moments on stage?
Mike:TOO many!

AFRERSH:Who is the bands musical influence?
Mike: Dimmu Borgir for me.
Vena: Stratovarius, Slayer, Megadeth, Sonata Arctica, Rammstein, Behemoth, Vader, Slough Feg, Iced Earth, Fear of God.

AFRESH:How did the band get together?
Vena:  I found Mike and the rest just fell together.  However, we did use myspace and craigslist to find musicians to fill in a few roles.

AFRESH:What is your musical background like?
Mike: I started playing guitar at age 10. I started playing drums at 4, trumpet at age8.
Vena: No musical background, it was forbidden and banned in my house unfortunately, my backgound is actually in filmmaking.  But as soon as I was 18 I moved out and went to San Fransisco to rock!

AFRESH:Any other members in your family that are musicians?
Mike: My Grandmother is a country western drummer. My dad is a rock drummer, my uncle is a rock drummer, and another uncle is a rock bassist.

AFRESH:What is the TOP reason why you want to play music?
Mike:  The electric energy of sending your harmonic vibrations into the universe is an addiction the grips your sould the first time you drink it in.

AFRESH: What’s your stance on file swapping?
Mike:  It enables indie bands to reach a much broader audience. However, it makes it near impossible for music be a lucrative endeavor. It is stealing, it is a tolerated crime because the technology is too advanced to be goverened. So fans can appreciate music for free, but it is kind of like raping an artist’s soul. I don’t think cd’s should be over $8, then perhaps more people would spring for the superior sound quality and artwork that the band packaged.

AFRESH: What is the process of making a cd?
Mike: Recording demos first, then fine tuning and tweaking. A lot of our songwriting is actually done in the studio. I am a strong believer in catching a hint of spontanaiety and letting the music mature post-mortem.

AFRESH: How do you get the word out about your music?
Mike:Myspace is awesome for promotion.

AFRESH: How is your local response to your music?
Mike: We are getting a great response locally as well as abroad.
Vena:  We get a ton of autograph requests, which is always kind of surprising.

AFRESH: What is the furthest you have traveled for a gig?
Vena:  When we lived in San Francisco, we went on tour down the coast to LA.

AFRESH: What tune on the cd are you most proud of?
Mike: Postapocalyptic Requiem