Q1 For the record, who's answering the interview?
Madison- Hello guys (and girls). This is Madison Stegall.<br/> Mike- And Mike Plowman from Final Curse. It is a pleasure to be speaking with you today.
Q2 What is your band's name? How did you come up with that name?
Madison- Mike and I were driving to a near-by record store on the day that Slayer released the single "Cult" that would be on their "Christ Illusion" album. We were listening to "Postmortem". Mike was singing along and sang the wrong lyrics. The actual lyric is "await the final call." Mike sang "await the final curse." So, that became an inside joke, as well as a band name.
Q3 So who's in the band and what instruments do you each play?
Mike- I am the lead vocalist, and also rhythm and lead guitar.<br/> Madison- I play rhythm and lead guitar, and also do backing vocals. Brendon Blackwelder is the drummer, and Fernando "Fernie" Ortega is the bassist. Fernie is the newest addition (well actually the only addition we can mention, seeing as the other three members are original members) to the band. He replaced Stephen Moore who recently left for personal reasons.
Q4 How would you describe your sound. What makes you unique?
Madison- We are a metal band, so we are heavily influenced by the obvious classic bands: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Judas Priest, etc. We have many more influences than that, but those are the biggest. We consider ourselves thrash metal, but do not follow what people have been calling the "Thrash Revival". What it SHOULD be called is the Thrash Regurgitation. All that the "new" thrash bands are doing is writing the same old songs. If I want to listen to old Kreator songs, I will listen to Kreator. Not a "new" thrash band that sounds exactly like them. Final Curse tries to achieve something different. We want to bring something new to the table. You can hear bits of Slayer and Exodus in some of our riffing, but we sound like us. Our guitar styles are unique, and Brendon's drum style is extremely unique.
Q5 What bands have influenced each of you?
Mike- The same bands we just talked about. I would also add Testament, Annihilator, Cannibal Corpse, and King Diamond.<br/> Madison- Yes, and Mercyful Fate, Deicide, Destruction, Dark Throne, Death. Hell, we would go on forever.<br/> Mike- We also have classic rock and country influences but I'm sure you do not want to hear about those...haha.
Q6 How experienced are you on the stage, a virgin or whore?
Mike- We have been playing on stage for years. Since 2006. And many of us were in bands before this one. <br/> Madison- We are definately not whores, though. We are sluts. We dont get paid enough to be whores.
Q7 How would you describe your shows?
Mike- Our shows are hard to describe. We only play shows in our home town a couple times a year. Those are usually packed and full of energy. Some gigs away from home are great, but sometimes we will get one somewhere with no scene whatsoever and we end up playing to the bartender. <br/> Madison- I usually spend time wondering around talking to all of the people that I know while the other bands are playing. I can't stand when bands invite someone to a show and then never even acknowledge that they are there. I try to make everyone feel welcome and appreciated. The other guys in the band do this as well.
Q8 Tell us about your favorite show and why?
Mike- Playing with Exodus and Warbringer is the highlight of our live playing. Before the show we gave Gary Holt of Exodus our shirt. We played our set, and saw Gary standing to the side of the stage watching. That was scary. We were terrified. When Exodus came out to play, Gary was wearing our shirt. We were so excited. Maybe he was just being nice, but maybe he actually liked our music.
Q9 Tell us about your worst show and why?
Madison- We have had some bad ones, but Houston, Texas was pretty damn bad. It was the last gig of our Louisiana/Texas tour. We played to the bartenders, the other band, and the guy that put the show together. Not to mention the venue sucked. We could have been home about 6 hours sooner had we decided to not play.
Q10 Tell Us About Your Dream Show, who you'd like to play with and where?
Mike- Im pretty sure that Madison and I would both agree that playing with Metallica anywhere would be our dream show.<br/> Madison- Bingo. Any place, any time.
Q11 Do you have a street team and how can you join?
Mike- Yes. We have a street team. It isn't formal or anything. Just send us a message on Facebook, or Reverbnation. We would appreciate any help we can get.
Q12 Do you have a record label and if not are you looking for one?
Madison- We do have a record label. Dark Harvest Records. They help out a bit, but we are always looking forward to bigger and better opportunities.
Q13 What are your plans for the future, in a year, 5 years?
Madison- Right now we are writing new music. We have not decided if we will be releasing another album or if we will be recording a bunch of singles, but expect something new within this year. <br/> Mike- Father in the future, sooner rather than later I hope, you may see us touring around the world. Hopefully you will see us on the cover of Guitar World magazine. Then that magazine wouldn't suck so bad.
Q14 Finally, do have any words on what Arm The Pit means to you?
Mike- Arm the Pit is very important to underground music, and we really appreciate what you guys do. Main stream music is such a pile of shit these days. Places where unknown and upcoming bands can go to get some exposure are sorely needed. The only problem is that every teenage kid and their mom has their own band. It is so hard to wade through all the white noise to find something actually worth listening to. Arm the Pit helps make that quest more tolerable.<br/> Madison- Yes, we really do thank you for what you do, and appreciate the opportunity to talk with you and all the metal fans out there.
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