| Papa J: Rose how have things been going with you since the last time we had a interview? At that time, you were still looking for a band. Now I see that you're in ANTI-HERO, how did it all come together?
Rose Perry: Jesse Tomes (lead guitarist) and I (lead vox, songwriter, guitarist) have known each other for a few years and throughout our relationship, we had witnessed all the drama from both of our previous bands, Eliminate the Body, and HER, as well, we developed a mutual respect for each other as musicians.
So, when push came to shove, and it was proven that the members of our previous acts were not in it for the long run, nor did they take music seriously, we both quit our bands and came together to form a superpowered group.
When recruiting other members, we wanted to ensure right from the get-go that they had the same talent, dedication, ambition, and go-getter attitude that we shared so as you can imagine, that would narrow our list of potentials quite a bit because although there are loads of talented musicians out there, very few of them possess the necessary business and marketing skills it takes to make it in this industry.
Jesse initially met Nicole VanHaverbeke (bassist, backing vox) at a Marilyn Manson concern and was immediately impressed by her as she was the only chick in a very rough moshpit! They stayed in touch and he learned that she was a very accomplished death metal guitarist and was facing similar difficulties in terms of finding other musicians she could gel with in order to form a serious band. I met her later on that year at a Halloween show, and we instantly clicked because unlike a lot females, she was neither catty or competitive towards me, and she definitely had a good head on her shoulders.
When trying to recruit a bassist, we contemplated the idea of adding her to the roster because she had a great sense of style, she was talented as hell, and I knew I wouldn't have a problem with her as my counterpart.
When we first introduced the idea to her, she was a bit hesistant because she was a guitarist, not a bassist, and as well she wasn't sure if she'd be into the style of music. We decided to have her down for a trial practice to see what she thought, and as you can see, her initial hesistations are gone. I will definitely say that her addition to the band lineup begun to steer us into a heavier direction -- afterall, she is our scream queen.
Last, but not least, we have Matty (drummer). He may look the straightest, but trust me, he's by far the most wild of the bunch.
The search for a drummer was definitely the most difficult. We placed classified ads on the net, and after a month or so, Matty emailed us saying he was interested in filing the position. We met him at a coffee shop, and though at first we were a bit ify about his appearance -- he didn't look very rock'n'roll (as much as we hate to be superficial, looks go a far way in this business), but his amazing personality and talent made up for it.
We jammed, learned some covers, and started writing some songs, and within only a few months hit the road and haven't looked back since!
Papa J: Now I see that you and your band are taking it old school and doing 90's Grunge music mixed with Punk. And that's good to see your not following any trends in this music world today. What made you guys take back to doing Grunge?
Rose Perry: Well, firstly, none of us are really impressed by today's mainstream music that is cluttering radio waves, and for that matter, there really hasn't been a REAL musical evolution since the 90's. We all grew up in that time period, and the music, values, and ideals are still things for us that ring true today. It's a time, we can all understand, agree, on and really feel. We didn't really chose a genre that we were aiming for, that's just what came out naturally.
Papa J: Any new CD's you got coming out this year?
Rose Perry: We are currently in the studio working with Rob Sanzo of Signal to Noize (Treble Charger, Joydrop, Scratching Post, Skinnypuppy, Robin Black are just a few of the notables he has worked with) on our debut album which will be accompanied by a music video and DVD. We anticipate it's release by the summer and plan to tour cross Canada to support it.
Papa J: I was checking out your site and I see you have some shows coming up.So here is my question. What is the process you and your band go through to get ready for a crowd night in and night out?
Rose Perry: We almost always have a quick band practise the day of the show to get everyone feeling that extra bit of security. We then hop in our cars, and taunt each other while driving to the venue followed by a group dinner. To finish it off, we have a pep talk (always hosted by Matty) off stage, and then proceed to rock the crotches!
Papa J: So you still have your self-produced record label called "HER Records". What artists besides your band is on there?
Rose Perry: I was managing a couple of great acts but unfortunately they broke up :( Eventhough it was a let-down at the time, it ended up working out for the best because I want to focus all the spare time I have (which isn't much when you work full time) to my band. I still find many fellow musicians coming to me for advice on promotion and marketing which is great because I am always happy to share the knowledge I have gained from managing musical acts for the past five years.
Papa J: Has there been any offers towards your bands way from the major record labels?
Rose Perry: Not yet, but we've only just begun! Look out world here we come!
Papa J: And last question. What is Anti-Hero's plains for the near future?
Rose Perry: To rock crotches everywhere, and inspire others to follow their dreams!
Papa J: Thank you for your time once again Rose.
Rose Perry: No -- thank you Papa J -- you rock! It's great to see people supporting the indie music scene -- keep it up :)
Check out ANTI-HERO's official site at www.anti-hero.ca
For bookings, or inquiries, please contact Rose Perry at
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