I’m Miss Randall, drummer and vocalist of the metal trio Rusty Eye.

I got into Rock music at an early age, but in my teens I found out that I needed something heavier to fulfill my needs and I got introduced to the underground European Metal. Being raised in Mexico City helped to build a strong character in me, a truly devoted place to the subculture.

If you use it as a gimmick, if you want to be just the token member, well it may as well work wonders in your advantage! It’s easy to promote yourself as the ‘hottest chick in metal’ just to get press and attention, but when you are promoting that you can ‘actually play’ it’s a different ballgame. I’m here to tear down walls, not to embrace pre-established old ways.

We may use it as one of the many assets to set ourselves apart from other bands, but it’s just another element. It is not the main thing.

This is a typical conversation with a person that I just met: “So you are in a band? Way Cool! So you must be the singer!” Ergh… wrong! Front of house engineers also are a true hassle when it comes to playing without a sound check. The first song usually doesn’t get a good mix because they don’t know first that I’m singing, and second, that I hit as hard as a dude (grins)!

I don’t know man. We have to get to places too, but I get your point. Most of them aren’t that brilliant behind the wheel.

I got to talk to Rusty Eye’s extremely talented drummer/vocalist, Miss Randall, for a very informative Q&A....

 
Miss Randall: It was a great honor because we have always been huge fans of both, his prog band Goblin, and his work as a film composer. In fact, most of our wildest artistic ideas have been inspired by watching Argento's films and the scores created for them.
 
 
Tessara: Have you always been both a singer and drummer? Do you prefer one over the other?
 
Miss Randall: I started singing before drumming, but I had always wanted an instrument to go along with me. Even though I’ve improved in technique, I consider myself a naturally rhythmic person. Doing both at first was a challenge, but then it got easier. I enjoy doing both equally.
 
 

Tessara: Are the horror undertones something that was a conscious decision or did it just occur naturally?
 
Miss Randall: For us, horror movies are as influential as records. It all occurs naturally and it all becomes one when we write songs and lyrics. While some use horror stuff as a gimmick, to us it’s more our lifestyle.
 
Tessara: What are your favorite horror films?
 
Miss Randall: Buio Omega, Phenomena, House by the Cemetery, Suspiria, Pieces, House in the Edge of the Park, Macabre, Hellraiser, Re-Animator, all Friday the 13ths... The list goes on.
 
 
Tessara: What are the top 5 influences in the band’s music?
 
Miss Randall: Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Metallica, Rush, and Goblin.
 
 
Tessara: Did starting Mexico City give you guys a different aspect of music? What was the Mexico music scene like?
 
Miss Randall: In a way it made us stronger, we are proud of what we have achieved independently here because down there you learn about the struggle it is to be in a band with no resources available (no Guitar Centers, no gear rentals because they are only for “signed bands”, no studios, etc.). At the time we moved to LA, there was no real independent metal scene in Mexico that would support an act like us (until recently there are a few new Indie labels) besides, we sing in English and that is a big no-no to the Mexican music industry.
 
 
Tessara: What’s it like to be a female drummer in a male dominated genre?
 
Miss Randall: It is not easy to be taken seriously to be honest. Many females in other bands will speak the contrary, but most are either fronting their bands or just “token” members who don’t really excel in their instruments (degrading the role of female musicians). I am here to set an example yes, but it’s not a question about fighting for Feminism, there are bigger problems such as the music industry not supporting original artists and developing their music careers.
 
 
Tessara: If you could tour with any band, which would it be?
 
Miss Randall: Iron Maiden or Metallica.
 

 
Tessara: What inspired you to become a musician?
 
Miss Randall: I’ve always wanted to be performing on stage. I think it’s the most beautiful feeling to express your ideas live and recording them, so they last longer than your existence: a legacy of yourself. I love to connect with the audience, let them feel what I feel. It’s electric!
 
 
Tessara: Could you tell me about the “Mr. Cannibal” video shoot?
 
Miss Randall: After playing in support for Katatonia and Moonspell in the late 2006, we were approached by a film director Alejandro Ordonez who, both intrigued by our horror and metal influence, wanted to shoot and produce a video for us. So we shot the video the next year’s summer in a cool warehouse in Glendale with his professional crew of people, and the fact that it was shot on 16 MM totally worked with the song.

We plan on collaborating in future projects with him.

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Some people's fascination with Hollywood has nothing to do movie stars
or bogus reality TV. The motivation for Rusty Eye bassist/vocalist Mr.
Rust and drummer/vocalist Ms. Randall to leave Mexico City and move to
Hollywood is a more inspiring story. While the metaphorical meaning of
Rusty Eye is something about the corrosion of perception, these two
musicians' ambition has been clear-eyed. Both became U.S. citizens and
graduated from Musicians Institute, and while working day jobs,
continuously wrote and recorded new music, playing gigs on the fabled
Sunset Strip and in the other sordid clubs of Los Angeles. Along with
the guitarist Tony "The Baron" Murtlan, this thrash/progressive power
trio is gaining recognition as a serious act, not just some band with a
hot-looking chick drummer.

Mr. Rust, who was born in Tucson, AZ, formed Rusty Eye in Mexico City in
1995. Back to his early days, Rust, a guy who expressed himself freely,
was destined for greatness, or infamy. He'd been kicked out of Catholic
School as a pre-teen because they thought he was a Satanist. A
well-read, humorous, and self-spoken dude off stage, the Eye's front man
is a maniac onstage.

"It's very radical to sing in English." Rust explains about the Mexican
scene. "It's culturally disrespectful, Mexican bands have to sing in
Spanish. There are underground bands who sing in English, but that's
attached to a certain niche, like traditional death metal, black metal.
We weren't part of the underground metal thing, we weren't part of the
mainstream rock thing. We were in between."

Ms. Randall's story is inspiring for any aspiring musician. For the last
two years the annual NAMM Convention in Anaheim, she has amazed the
attendees (many of whom are veteran drummers), and in 2007, Randall was
a finalist in the "World's Fastest Drummer" contest. To see and hear her
behind the kit during one of the band's lacerating shows makes you
wonder how she became so good so quickly. And the girl can sing, whether
as a lead melodic vocal, or a guttural death growler complementing Mr.
Rust. Randall's extraordinarily talented, and she's consequently been
sought out by self-serving A&R people who'd like her to put down the
drumsticks and front an all-girl band.

"I've been a prog head since I was 14," explains Randall, who cites Rush
drummer Neil Peart as being the one who made her want to pick up the
sticks. "I was always inclined to the percussion thing. In 2002 I met
the Rusty Eye guys and they needed a drummer, and I was like "Well, I'm
going to learn." They believed in me, I got he drum set and started
playing, and after six months I learned all the songs and I finally
joined the band."

Tony Murtland, aka "The Baron" is a Virginia transplant and the
unalloyed American of the trio. Oddly, Murtland admits to being a jazz
nerd, while he claims the late, great guitarist Chuck Schuldiner [Death]
was most influential to him growing up.

Currently, Rusty Eye is working on new material for their forthcoming
independent album - a follow-up to their 2006 release Stendhal
Syndrome - which is due to come out this summer.
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