BVB support Japan

    

                                 

Entrevista a Ashley Purdy

About the author: This exclusive interview was contributed to The Huffington Post by La Carmina: TV host, coolhunter, author & blogger at LaCarmina.com. She did a video interview with Black Veil Brides in Seattle.

Makeup-smeared Hollywood band Black Veil Brides landed in Japan for the first time last Wednesday (two days before the earthquake). The Visual-metal rockers were amped to experience the culture and perform in Tokyo and Osaka.

Their plans were ripped apart by the 9.0 earthquake, which hit while the group was in soundcheck. Vocalist Andy Six Tweeted it was the "most terrifying experience of my life."

Bassist Ashley Purdy shares the band's story, emphasizing the warmth they encountered from the moment they stepped off the plane. Black Veil Brides urges people to help Japan, and donate to well-vetted organizations like Doctors Without Borders.

How was your arrival at Narita?

This was Black Veil Brides' very first tour in Japan. I was particularly excited because we have lots of fans here, and I can't enough of Japanese culture and Visual Kei bands.

When we got to the terminal, we saw people waving. We stopped and asked each other, "Are they here for us?" It turned out that fans had been waiting several hours for us to arrive. Of course, we took photos and signed autographs. We got in a van, and when it reached the hotel, fans had gathered here as well.

It was a long flight and the band was exhausted. But we wanted to hang out with our fans. So we checked in and came right back down, to have drinks with them at a Shibuya rock bar.

What were your first impressions of Tokyo?

From the start, it was a great experience all around. Everyone was so polite, so kind. It was surprisingly easy to communicate - lots of people could speak English at least half way. To me, it was the cleanest city I had ever experienced. Everything seemed manicured. I kept thinking, where's all the dust and dirt?

I had a bit of free time, so I asked my translators to take me around. We sang karaoke; it was neat to order sake and party in a private room. I went to a ton of alternative clothing shops in Harajuku, and the more upscale designers in Omotesando. I loved the sales girls, with their perfect hair and cute dresses with stockings and heels, and how they welcome you with high voices.

Our first concert at Shibuya-O-EAST went off without a hitch. There were a thousand people there. At first, it felt like a library: the crowd was polite and silent. But we started playing and they got wild and crazy, chanting along to our songs.

Tell me about the earthquake.

The next day, we were scheduled to play Astro Hall in Harajuku. We were in the basement around 3pm, getting ready for soundcheck, when everything started moving. Our Japanese crew and sound guys said, "Don't worry, this happens all the time." We weren't worried either; we're from LA and used to small earthquakes now and then.

But then it started shaking harder, and stuff was getting knocked over. That's when we realized this was serious.

The band and production staff ran upstairs to get outside. It was insane: we could hardly walk; I was stumbling all over. When we got outdoors, I looked across the street at the Forever 21 and H&M buildings - and they were swaying back and forth like trees. Through the glass windows, I could see merchandise falling off the shelves.

People around us were crying. They were trying to make it to an open area while everything around them was crumbling.

The earthquake lasted a long, long time. A minute passed, and I kept thinking, when is this going to stop? None of us knew what to do. We just kept bracing ourselves. It's hard to talk about what happened, to describe how it felt to someone who hadn't lived through it.

What did you do after the quake stopped?

We tried to contact family and friends, but all communication was down. It took us a while before we could send a mass email to the people close to us, letting them know we were ok.

There were huge aftershocks soon after, major earthquakes in and of themselves. They were around the same magnitude as the one that devastated Northridge, California.

The production people told us we shouldn't perform that evening. Pretty much every concert in Tokyo was canceled. But we were set up and ready to go, and there were fans waiting outside. So we decided to go on with the show, and played for the 40 or so people who turned up.

The aftershocks rumbled through the night, putting everyone on edge. We didn't get any sleep. The next day, we found out all our shows were canceled due to immense structural damage. We were told we had to fly out ASAP, for our safety.

Did you have troubles getting out of Japan?

There were mad transportation problems because of the train stoppages and power outages. It took one of our promoters five hours to get into the city, and she lives thirty minutes away. And it took us two or three times the normal time to drive to Narita airport.

It was insanity at Narita. Everyone was trying to get out. Big line-ups and cancelled flights. Everywhere, people were huddled in sleeping bags provided by the airport. We arrived around 9am, and our flight to Los Angeles didn't leave until 4pm.

What is Black Veil Brides going to do now?

We're soldiering on, and getting ready for our AP tour. But the earthquake is an experience I can't shake, and the band wants to get the word out on the need for relief. I also want to go back to Japan as soon as it's safe, to spend more time experiencing the culture


BVB_Argentina

Entrevista a Andy Six ·

In the midst of their first ever trip to the UK, Black Veil Brides have had a fantastic string of dates supporting Murderdolls on their anticipated return. Needless to say, it’s a humbling experience to support a band in a country you’ve never been to before and find flocks of your own fans turning up, and vocalist Andy Six appreciates it fully.

Not long before doors, Andy took a little time out to explain how it’s been touring the UK for the first time, the aims and message of Black Veil Brides and what he wants you to get from him and his band. Personally, I think you’ll find a very intelligent and grounded person and a band full of energy, self-belief and high hopes for the future.

IS: So, how are you?
ANDY: How am I doing? Fantastic! How are you?

IS: I’m great, thanks. How has tour been so far?
ANDY: Great. The shows have been sold out so far and it’s all been fantastic. We’ve never been to the UK before, so this is our first time and we’ve had an absolute blast.

IS: How have you found the UK for your first time?
ANDY: It’s great, great. It’s really cool. I was a fan of the Murderdolls growing up, so getting to tour with them and watch them play every night is great. I mean the crowd response has been fantastic. It’s nice to come here and to see people that are into our band or have already liked our band even though we’ve never been here before. So it’s been great.

IS: With your album ‘We Stitch These Wounds’, how did you approach writing? This is your first full release, isn’t it?
ANDY: Yeah, you know when you make a first record you sort of have like 20 years of writing and stuff to write about, life experience and stuff. Making the second record has been good. We’re currently working on our second record and that’s been probably more both fun and challenging because I’ve got to write about more specific things rather than just like life experiences of the last 20 years.

IS: Are you finding any major differences in how you wrote your first album and how you’re currently writing your second?
ANDY: I think obviously the first record was a collection of experiences, you know 18 years of being on the earth. Whereas the second record is probably more focussed lyrically, more just about specific instances where things that have happed over the last year and a half has shaped who I am now. Obviously the band has found success or our lives are a little bit different than when we made the first record, so more road experience and more things in our lives. I mean honestly, it’s much of the same. Growing up, nothing really changes in your life internally so you always remain the same person. It’s just about how you project who you are internally outside.

IS: Is there any particular message you aimed to put out with the first album, or any you’re finding throughout the second?
ANDY: Yeah. Well it’s always just sort of that our message is very cut and dry. It’s to always believe in yourself and don’t let anybody else affect you. Sort of the initial idea of Rock ‘n’ Roll over the years was about rebellion and it’s about doing what you want, you know? Just not listening to anyone else: not listening to authority, not letting people tell you what to do basically. That’s basically what we hang our hat on. It’s basically the idea that we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band, for better and for worse and we want people to have fun and be themselves with whatever they want to do in their life.

IS: I’ve read before that your music videos are loosely based on parts of your life growing up. Is that something you’d look to keep doing?
ANDY: I’d love to. But I think ultimately, we sort of had a storyline for the first two videos that we made where it sort of got wrapped up. The idea of the first video was that here’s this lonely kid, very much representing me as a kid, and the second video was more about inclusiveness and showing all the people that he was now a part of it, so I think that maybe it’ll loosely stay that way. I figure we’ll keep the same sort of storyline feel that it had. I feel like we’ve sort of finished that book.

IS: I noticed, and assume it’s pure coincidence, but your videos both came out mid-June the last two years…
ANDY: We do love the month of June… Honestly, it’s just coincidence how things worked out but it turns out we do like the summer time and the summer time months to release stuff.

IS: As you said you grew up on Murderdolls, what other bands did you grow up on? Any you’d love to tour with like this too?
ANDY: Honestly this is the first band that we’ve ever toured with that I grew up listening to. I’ve obviously respected a lot of people that we’ve toured with but this was like the first band that I really enjoyed as a kid that, now, I get to tour with. But I mean ultimately most of the bands I loved are all dead or too old to tour anyway.

IS: You grew up loving KISS. Is that not perhaps a dream?
ANDY: Oh, yeah. I love KISS. I don’t necessarily think I’d want to tour with them because to me it seems a whole different entity. I feel like Black Veil Brides is a different animal, inspired greatly by KISS but I don’t necessarily know it would fit. If given the opportunity it would definitely be something I’d love to do but it’s not like a dream that I have to do right now.

IS: Are you looking forward to playing Download Festival this year?
ANDY: Yeah, it’s exciting. We’re definitely excited. It used to be Monsters of Rock which is the big Castle Donington thing and you see all those images and all these huge bands growing up and playing there, so it’s exciting.

IS: Is it true you’re also playing Warped Tour? I’d heard you’d self-confirmed but not yet been confirmed by Warped.
ANDY: Yeah, we’re playing Warped Tour. The way they do it in the States is that they roll out numbers of bands like ‘Oh, this band’ and then they announce it and I think it’s in like groups of twenty. The headlining bands they do last, so we should be confirmed soon I think.

IS: How are you feeling about touring for Warped? It seems to have been edging towards more of a pop-punk festival in the last few years. Do you think it’s maybe beginning to change again?
ANDY: I don’t know if it’s changing. I certainly think that having us on it is a good move. [laughs] No, I love Warped Tour though. I mean I went to it as a kid. I remember there were days when I’d see bands from the likes of Rancid and Dropkick Murphys to AFI, those kind of bands, all on one stage on one day. So for me that was a huge part of my childhood. I stopped going in recent years because of my band and I’ve been focussing on that but I do love it and I’m very excited to play it. I think if anything, maybe we can bring a little danger back to the tour.

IS: If someone was coming to their first ever Black Veil Brides show, what would you want them to take from the experience?
ANDY: I mean, honestly? It’s a standard, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll show. There’s a lot of audience participation and a lot of singing. I just want people to maybe let out some stress or let out some anger that they have in their day to day lives. I mean, to me, that’s what shows are for really. We’re performers that feel that you guys are paying us to perform for you, so we should always put on the best show we possibly can.

IS: Watching your videos, etc, I see that you have a prominent darker aesthetic than many bands. Is that something bands you grew up on had a strong influence over?
ANDY: Yeah, certainly. Bands like the Misfits are obviously a huge influence, Dead Boys, Lords of the New Church, The Damned – those kind of bands.

IS: What would you like to see in the near or more distant future of the Black Veil Brides?
ANDY: Just to keep going, man. Every day is a new experience and we have more fun every day. Shoot for the moon.

IS: If you could say one thing to describe Black Veil Brides to any potential fans, what would you say?

ANDY: I honestly don’t care if someone is sold on us or not. [laughs] The way I feel is that if you listen to it and you hear our music and like it then that’s great, but if you don’t then we’re going to keep playing, you know? I think too many bands get too hung up on wanting to sell themselves on something. For us – our fans and people who like our music have found something whether it’s musically or aesthetically about us that they enjoy, so they follow it. And if they want to tell other people about it then by word of mouth then that’s how things grow, but it’s not our goal to try and put out a commercial for Black Veil Brides.

IS: Lastly, what would you consider to be your greatest achievement so far?
ANDY: I don’t know. It’s hard to say. Getting the chance to play in front of a bunch of people who know the words to my songs and feel the same way about life that I do every night is a great achievement to me.

You can catch Black Veil Brides at Download Festival in June of this year

AP Tour !

Yeah !

BVB Buss

Tour Dates (Vans Warped Tour)

                                                    

Fri	Jun 24, 2011	Gexa Energy Pavilion	Dallas
Sat	Jun 25, 2011	The Showgrounds At Sam Houston Race Park	Houston
Sun	Jun 26, 2011	AT&T Center	San Antonio
Wed	Jun 29, 2011	NMSU Practice Field	Las Cruces
Thu	Jun 30, 2011	Plaza Hotel - Parking Lot	Las Vegas
Fri	Jul 01, 2011	Pomona Fairplex	Pomona
Sat	Jul 02, 2011	Shoreline Amphitheatre	Mountain View
Sun	Jul 03, 2011	Ventura Country Fairground At Seaside Park	Ventura
Wed	Jul 06, 2011	Sandstone Amphitheatre	Bonner Springs
Thu	Jul 07, 2011	Verizon Wireless Music Center	Noblesville
Fri	Jul 08, 2011	Comerica Park	Detroit
Sat	Jul 09, 2011	First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre	Tinley Park
Sun	Jul 10, 2011	Canterbury Park	Shakopee
Tue	Jul 12, 2011	Darien Lakes Fields	Darien Center
Wed	Jul 13, 2011	Comcast Center	Mansfield
Thu	Jul 14, 2011	Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain	Scranton
Fri	Jul 15, 2011	The Flats at Arrow Hall	Mississauga
Sat	Jul 16, 2011	Parc Jean-Drapeau	Montreal
Sun	Jul 17, 2011	Comcast Theatre	Hartford
Tue	Jul 19, 2011	Marcus Amphitheatre	Milwaukee
Wed	Jul 20, 2011	Blossom Music Center	Cleveland
Thu	Jul 21, 2011	Susquehanna Bank Center	Camden
Fri	Jul 22, 2011	First Niagara Pavilion	Burgettstown
Sat	Jul 23, 2011	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum	Uniondale
Sun	Jul 24, 2011	Monmouth Park Raceway	Oceanport
Tue	Jul 26, 2011	Merriweather Post Pavilion	Columbia
Wed	Jul 27, 2011	Verizon Wireless Amphitheater	Virginia Beach
Thu	Jul 28, 2011	Verizon Wireless Amphitheater	Charlotte
Fri	Jul 29, 2011	Central Florida Fairgrounds	Orlando
Sat	Jul 30, 2011	Cruzan Ampitheatre	West Palm Beach
Sun	Jul 31, 2011	Vinoy Park	St.Petersburg
Mon	Aug 01, 2011	Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood	Atlanta
Tue	Aug 02, 2011	Riverbend Music Center	Cincinnati
Wed	Aug 03, 2011	Verizon Wireless Amphitheater	St. Louis
Fri	Aug 05, 2011	Invesco Field at Mile High	Denver
Sat	Aug 06, 2011	Utah State Fairpark	Salt Lake City
Sun	Aug 07, 2011	Desert Sky Pavilion	Phoenix
Tue	Aug 09, 2011	Cricket Amphitheatre	San Diego
Wed	Aug 10, 2011	Cal State Dominguez Hills	Carson
Thu	Aug 11, 2011	Sleep Train Amphitheater	Marysville
Fri	Aug 12, 2011	Idaho Center Amphitheatre	Nampa
Sat	Aug 13, 2011	The Gorge Amphitheatre	George
Sun	Aug 14, 2011	Washington County Fairgrounds	Hillsboro