As tradition continues for the 'Independent Band of the Year' contest for this blog, I try to give last year's winner a final interview before the torch is passed on to the new winner. So I took a few minutes to send some questions to last year's champion, Mortal Wrath. The band's guitarist/songwriter Michael Kirby sent me his responses during some down-time he had over the holidays recently. Here's what he had to say:
Michael Kirby: My father-Dave Kirby, Steve Vai, Kiko Loureiro, and Rob Jarzombek.
HH: How did you meet and decide to form a band?
MK: I met my drummer in August of 2008, through a mutual friend. 20 minutes after our 1st jam I was on the phone to quit the other 2 bands I was in at the time, to the birth of Mortal Wrath!
HH: Where did the band's name come from? (I seem to recall the phrase 'Mortal Wrath' in a Dream Theater song I've heard recently...)
MK: The name did indeed come from a spoken passage from the Dream Theater song "Octavarium".
HH: What is your favorite song to perform live?
MK: Probably "Law Under Grace" or "The Single Projection"
HH: What is your favorite band(s)?
MK: Pagan's Mind and Dream Theater
HH: I've actually been on a big Dream Theater kick lately- playing a CDR I made of "The Twelve-Step Suite". Other favorite bands of mine: Megadeth, KISS, Black Sabbath.
HH: What is your favorite movie?
MK: Walk Hard!
HH: For me, I like thriller with a great twist: Se7en, Memento are a couple of my favorites.
HH: What is your favorite book?
MK: The Bhagavad Gita
HH: I'm always reading some kind of fiction. Really loved Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles (The Name Of The Wind and The Wise Man's Fear). Can't wait for the 3rd and final book: The Doors of Stone.
HH: How has 2012 been for you, and what's in store for 2013?
MK: In 2012 the band had taken a pause to take care of our families but still keeping our chops up in our home studios. Myself, I've been playing more guitar than ever; learning excessively with countless ideas in my memory bank for albums worth of new material. The summer of '12 was indeed fun on my land in the mountains 7 miles from town, Marshall amp outside, feeling the acoustics of raw amp slap back off the trees... Countless hours of outdoor jamming! Entering 2013 with a new frame of mind and a new musical approach I want to experiment with. Expect one hell of a band return this summer!!! Back to music-life...
HH: Thanks again, to Michael Kirby, for giving us that update on this past year. Although it is time to pass the title of Independent Band of the Year on to the new winner, Fist to the Sky, remember that I keep up with all past winners of this contest. And as soon as Mortal Wrath are ready to deliver new music, you can rest assured you'll hear about it here first!
And remember to follow them at their main website as well: www.mortalwrath.com
Happy Headbanging...
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