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Tuesday, June 02, 2009 SOUTHERN DEATH THREAT INTERVIEW /SHOW REVIEW
Current mood:ROCKIN
Category: Music Interview by: Rocker Chic Edited by: Valerie Jacobs (Staff Editor and Photographer)
SDT Photo’s by: Rocker Chic
SOUTHERN DEATH THREAT
Nick Oszinski- Vocals
Brennan Eyles – Guitars(song writer/front-man)
Scotty Mccargar -Drums
Howie Hammer –Bass
Southern Death Threat (SDT) was first formed in 2005 by Brennan Eyles (songwriter/guitarist) and former professional lacrosse player from Prince George BC (Canada) who decided he would rather make a living rockin’ an Axe, than a Lacrosse stick. And we rock lovers are fortunate he did!
Their debut album titled “Southern Death Threat” will take you from sitting on a porch on a hot summer night listening to some southern guitar strumming, then escalate you to a coliseum with thousands of head banging moshing fans rockin’ along to some thrashing heavy rock riffs…and then bring you back down to that porch with a thump and an ahhhh followed by a HELL YEAH…Gimme some more!!
Brennan’s band may have been through a few lineup changes over the past few years, but he has stayed focused and determined, and it has certainly paid off. When Todd Hancock of Vancouver’s radio station CFOX heard them, he instantly became a fan. And when Hancock started a management company with Dave Brenner of Theory of a Deadman, he didn’t hesitate to sign SDT to “He Shoots, He Scores Entertainment”.
In 2007 they appeared in a Steven Segal Movie “Kill Switch”, and also had their song “Rusty” (one of my fave’s) featured in it. They are currently gearing up for a Western Canadian tour, including X Fest 3 in Brandon Manitoba this August. And to top that off nicely, they will be working with muli-platinum producer Joey Moi (Nickelback, Hinder, Daughtry) in the very near future.
SHOW REVIEW
So what are they like live?
To be honest I was a bit worried because they recently replaced their singer (Ken Goode). It’s one thing when you replace a guitarist, but another entirely when you replace the singer. It can be band suicide, and I wasn’t sure what to expect...
But holy hell…Nick’s voice boomed through that mic and smacked us in the ear holes with his powerful punch packing metal pipes! By the end of the first song he had everyone in the room chanting “SDT”, screaming, moshing and rockin out with hornz up as he belted his way through new and old SDT tunes to perfection! I was mega impressed!  Brennan - Nice Axe hey? And let me tell you he knows how to wield it!! I love his understated style. It’s like you don’t see it comin and then he hits ya right between the eyes with some heavy shredding and wailin’! My hornz were high to Brennan!
Scotty - A precision MANIAC drummer!!! And with a cocky sideways smile and a wink, he stood up and twirled those sticks like he was gonna pop ‘em in gun holsters after! Made me think of Jessie James in a gun fight! Totally freakin cool!!
Howie - A BAD ASS bassist!! He’s so animated and energetic!! Awesome to photograph…wicked to watch! 
I don’t know why I was worried. With Brennan at the helm of this rockin’ force there will be no “band suicide”!! They are an unstoppable Southern Rockin’ Threat!! Look the fk out!!
INTERVIEW
Big thanks to Brennan for taking the time to answer some questions for us.
Former professional lacrosse player turned musician…that’s a switch. Why the change in careers? Do you miss playing lacrosse?
I played lacrosse for a very long time. Teams from all over Vancouver were calling me when I was 16 trying to get me to play. It was my ticket out of Prince George. I came down with my guitars as well and started jamming at my cousins place. Lacrosse is a tough sport and hard on the body. Towards the end of my career I was finding that it was too tough to do both lacrosse and music. All the injuries to my hands from all the fights I was in made it really hard to play guitar, so I retired. I miss it a lot and don’t even watch, ‘cause I want to get out there and smash somebody against the boards! I still stay in touch with lots of the pro guys. I also wrote the Calgary Roughnecks theme song.
What is the meaning behind the name Southern Death Threat?
It means the USA. We are really close to the states and with all the nuclear ambitions and terrorist attacks it made sense. Watching CNN helped. I came up with the name on the way to a New York Yankees baseball game in Seattle.
After speaking with you and seeing you live…you’ve convinced me you are unstoppable. I truly think you could dream as big as you want to and actually make it come true. I really get the vibe from you that you are on a course with a get the fk out of my way attitude. How do you stay so positive and determined in such a competitive industry?
You have to believe that it will happen. With the right mix of guys and being surrounded by people that know what they’re doing helps. I do it for the love of music first. I never expect to get anything. I do know that hard work does pay off. I do have the get the fuck out of my way attitude. No point in being some pussy wimp! You have to have thick skin in this business. I admire what other great Vancouver bands have done. Art of Dying have worked their ass off and put every dime they had into it and now look what they’re doing, touring with Disturbed again. State of Shock have done the same thing. Their kicking major ass! I give those guys props for sticking with it no matter what. Same with the Veer guys.
Were you worried at all when Ken quit the band?
Todd told me at the start that he couldn’t believe how calm me and Scotty were when all this garbage went down. Ken was a great singer, but he wasn’t going to hold me back or hostage in my own project. He could have done things differently and so could have I. Basically prima donna attitude won’t fly with me. Then when you get a lawyer it changes everything, and ruled out Ken coming back to SDT. It was a two week hiccup when Ken left. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
Scotty (drums) has been with you the longest. Can you tell us a bit about him?
I've known Scotty and jammed with him on and off since 2003. My buddy Scott Holman from Autoswitch introduced me to the Great Scotty. When he was in Bif Naked we would always go watch him do his drum solo. When him and I get together it is magic. He knows what I’m trying to do and he has always stuck with me. By far the best one of the best drummers in Canada. Not only is he a great drummer but a first class friend.
Can you tell us about your newest members Nick (singer) and Howie (bass) and how you found them?
Both the new guys are great guys first and foremost. Nick is an awesome singer. I really liked what Nick brought to the table right away. He could sing and he was open to criticism. Some singers get their back against the wall if you change their idea or how they sing. We didn’t have to tell Nick much he just brought it right away. He knows that were not looking for some selfish prima donna kind of guy. This is a pro band and we expect every member to act like one. I instantly liked Howie right away. He basically got the gig when he showed up wearing Iron Maiden shoes! We have a great time on the road with the new guys.
I truly have an admiration for your ability to write music. From the lyrics to the composing, you are extremely gifted. What is your writing process?
When Nick came on board he had done his homework on the new songs. He came with awesome lyrics and melodies. It has made it really easy. We haven’t had to tell him what to do that much. We brought in Jeff Johnson (songwriter for Jet Black Stare) to work with Nick on the chorus to “Truth”. It really worked and now we have our song we want. When Ken was in we used to collaborate on the lyrics right at the studio, but Nick comes in like a pro and doesn’t fuck around. He has shit ready to go without me helping. I have a ton of songs that we'll get through this year.
You played a couple new awesome tunes at your last show. Are you writing for the new album? Do you have an approximate release date?
We are just getting our new single ready for our summer tour. We'll finish the album when we get back. It’s really fucking exciting!
You give huge props to Todd Hancock (your manager) for pushing you as far as you can go in a blog on your MySpace. How has being under his management helped SDT?
Todd has been the best thing that has ever happened to SDT. At the start I told my wife that we needed Hancock on board. Todd was the one of the only DJ's that supported my kind of metal like Pantera. Our buddy Steve “Popeshow” Mayer hooked SDT up with Todd for an interview. He finally came to a show and we blew him away. I look back on it now and am really thankful to Popes for hooking us up. Todd is an incredible friend. The fucking guy goes to war for me on a daily basis. Definitely my best friend. I make sure I thank him all the time for his hard work and for sticking by us. He makes me laugh my fucking head off all the time! And holy fuck can this guy drink! Without Todd I would be playing out front of the liquor store for crack!
SDT was cast in the Steven Segal movie “Kill Switch” and your song “Rusty” was featured in the movie. (For the readers that have not seen it, you can get it on DVD now. SDT is in the bar scene) How did that come about and can you tell us a bit about that experience?
That was a cool experience. A woman called me from “Insight Film” and asked if I would be interest in doing the movie. Segal was one of the cheesy actors I always dug. It was an honor to meet him and to do the film.
In our conversation, when you called me at the butt crack of dawn…haha ;) you mentioned meeting and hanging with Chad (Nickelback) and that he gave you some good advice. Can you tell us about that? What’s he like to hang with and where does one hang when hanging with Mr. Kroeger?
Todd is really good friends with Chad. I get text messages from Todd saying "Kroeger wants you to come down and party with us, get the fuck down here!" Chad is a cool dude. The fucking guy can out drink anybody. I’m hung over for a fucking week after going out with him. I always listen to the advice that some of these huge stars tell me. What songs to play, what to do here, there. They know. It’s like questioning Wayne Gretzky as a coach. It’s fucking Wayne Gretzky for fuck sakes. Chad is the Wayne Gretzky of music. He is a hit song writing machine. Nickelback takes such a beating in Canada and people hate them. I don’t understand that. Since when has writing hit songs become a bad thing? I think these people are jealous that it’s not them. If you don’t like them then don’t listen to them. A band that sells 30 casillion records and countless sold-out tours doesn’t suck. Most of these clowns that bash them are probably playing Hanna Montana covers and only wish that they could have success like Nickelback. I say fuck them!
In that same conversation you mentioned an admiration for Chris Daughtry. What did you think about him being voted off Idol in 4th place and where he is now?
American Idol is kind of fucked. The best singers get voted off. It loses credibility and becomes a popularity contest instead. Daughtry has done great and has an awesome voice. Joey told me that Chris is a really easy dude to work with. It’s better for your career finishing 2nd or 3rd on that show.
How stoked are you to be working with multi platinum producer, Joey Moi? How did he hear about you and when will you be working together?
We drank with Joey one night at The Roxy. At first he didn’t believe me that I actually liked Nickelback. Not many metal heads do. Then Todd approached him about possibly doing some work for SDT. We went to his house for a meeting. He started critiquing my guitar style, expressing that I should be adding more to the riffs. For an example, we were listening to "Burn it to the Ground" by Nickelback. He was showing me the opening riff to that song and showing me the point he was trying to make. I took his advice and went home and tried a new riff out, but like what Joey wanted me to do. After we jammed it out we recorded the jam and sent it to Hancock to give to Joey. Joey called Todd and said " Finally a guy that listens and gets it right! So needless to say I was pumped to hear that! We went to a second meeting at Joey's for a review of the new single. I was so nervous. These guys don’t pull any punches. If it sucks they'll tell you. Before I knew it Joey was grooving to the song and listened to it 10 times in a row. That really made me feel proud of how far I have come in such a short time. Again, thankful to Todd.
Your summer tour is fast approaching, with a date in Idaho, some dates across Western Canada, including X Fest 3, one of the biggest Canadian annual festivals held in Brandon Manitoba. You guys must be getting amped up?
Idaho is a no go for now. Doug from Cam management (The Sammus Theory) is a solid dude and wants to help SDT any chance he gets. He is getting us in the states this fall. X-fest 3 is going to be sick. We love touring. It’s the only way that a metal band has a chance to do anything. Nobody is going to come to your door and give you a huge record contract or tour contract. You have to go out and kick ass five nights a week. Brandon has no idea what we are going to do to them!
In closing is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Thankful to the fans for sticking with us. We didn’t know what was going to happen with a lineup change. The fans loved our new guys instantly. I will never change. You can come up to us anytime and talk, drink, take pictures. We know that our fans come first. We play for our fans, not some fucking goof critic or scumbag promoters. We don’t take nights off from our performance. I know we'll have many more years in this business. Come to our show, have fun, go fucking mental. We love it!
Brennan
SDT2009
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Thank you my friends for reading this interview. Please leave a comment for this hot rock band on the rise!!!
Their album is available on ITunes, Amazon and CDBaby.
They are going on tour this June across western Canada including X Fest-Brandon Manitoba, August 7-8. Check their space for their schedule and get out to a show! I know you will come back raving!!
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Click here to go to their MySpace
 Write your comment here...  VAL  Valerie Jacobs
6:32 PM
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