Misery Lane interview 15/08/23
MM: Can you tell us about your Band and whos your biggest influences
Misery Lane has been together since October of 2020. Originally it was just me (Ken – vocals/lead guitar/songwriter) and Ed Williams. We wrote the first album and put it out to give people an idea of the music so when we went looking for musicians we could say “this” is what we are doing and what our sound is. We gathered some other players and did some shows. Ed (he was the original vocalist) had some personal issues to deal with so he had to take some time off and we parted ways with our original rhythm guitar so the drummer and I said we will continue onward, so I took over on vocals and we found some other players and here we are today. Misery Lane is going strong.
MM: Where do you draw your inspirations and ideas from
The band has such an eclectic group of influences so it’s hard to lock down one or two. For instance, I’m an old school hair metal guy that fell in love with the blues. My son, our new rhythm guitarist, listens to bands like blink 182 and Chunk No Captain Chunk, where our drummer is an old school punk/metal drummer, and our bassist is an old school groove musician. That huge pool of influence really opens up our sound to be more dynamic than most new bands in my opinion.
MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
That’s a tough one. I’d have to say, and I’m speaking for everyone here, End of the Heartache by Killswitch Engage. Love the dual guitar work and the sing/scream diversity of the song.
MM: Plans tour and festival wise for 2023
We got a late start this year with new album coming out in March and finalizing lineup changes so, as you know, festival submissions usually have to be done months in advance so no festivals this year, but I have begun submissions for next year, but we are currently doing shows supporting the new album. The band just did a show supporting Drowning Pool on their current tour.
MM: What can we expect from (Band Name) live
Not four guys just standing there staring at our instruments LOL. Unfortunately, we see that all too often when we play shows with other local bands. People don’t want to watch people stand on a stage and play music. They want to hear good music and see a show so that’s what we try to do whenever we play. Maybe we miss a note here or there, but nobody will ever say “they just stood there”.
MM: What do you like best and worst abt touring
The best thing about touring as a smaller local band is meeting new people and getting in front of people that might not normally listen to what we do. The downside of being a lesser-known act is the only real money you make doing shows is from merch sales…and beers that fans by us LOL.
MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
If we could pick any bands to play with, I would say Killswitch Engage, Bullet for My Valentine, and Slipknot.
MM: What's the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own)
and why
The Monsters of Rock back in the late 80s. Getting that caliber of bands to play together with no egos was great and watching the fans of the various bands interact is what music is all about.
MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far with
I think the new album itself is the biggest accomplishment. The appreciation its gotten and looking online and seeing all the different countries and cities people have heard our music feels pretty good.
MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
And Justice for All by Metallica and Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche.
MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have
people watching you?
I can equate to the first time I jumped out of a plane in the military. You get in the door (up on the stage), you take a deep breath like am I really going to do this, and then you let go (play the first note) and the rest is just freefall in tranquility.
MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
I’m an old school rock and metal guy so bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Motley Crue, Skid Row, etc. I could go on and on.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other
Person
I don’t think there was every one person, per se, that influenced rock/metal more than any other but I will say I believe that Metallica’s Black Album brought Metal to the mainstream and without that album there would still be a lot of unknown metal bands that would have never gotten radio/video time before that, but now bands that used to be considered “underground” are mainstream and metal isn’t rock’s “dirty little secret”, it’s its own entity.
MM - What's the most important thing to the band right now?
The most important thing to us is to always make music that we love first and hope it engages the listener in some way. That’s why we try not to stick to the “genre” rules when we record or play a show. We don’t limit ourselves to sounding like this person or rinse and repeat type of writing. Every song is different, and every song invokes a different emotion.
MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
I would love to cover “Hotel California” in such a way it does the original justice, but I can still put my flavor on it. That song is so iconic for so many reasons its one of those songs people say you shouldn’t touch but I’d still like to try.
MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
Misery Lane isn’t anything like you have heard before. I like to say we ride the razor’s edge of where rock meets metal. The new album has 10 songs and not one sounds like the other and each has a different message in it so there’s something for everyone. We don’t want to isolate fans that may not want a heavy song that day or vice versa we don’t want to push away a fan that just needs some in your face metal.
MM: Four words to describe Misery Lane
Diverse, emotional, original, powerful
Final Words for your fans and our readers
If you haven’t already, check us out at miserylane.com. You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/miserylanemusic. Check out our music wherever you stream your music. Both albums are available everywhere, but “Red Balloon” is the latest and greatest with the new lineup. Check out our merch page on the website and support local music by picking up some merch shipped directly to you and stay tuned because we are already working on music for the third album, we are hoping to release early next year and as always thank you all!!!!!
