LA Symphonic Metal LEVINIA Unleashes Silver Tongues

0:04 Hi, you live done to censure? Wow for you your. This is the pipe Man here on the Avengers Pipe Man W four c Y Radio and I'm here with our next guests, who has some killer new music. I love it. I was listening to a new single Silver Tongues, and everybody needs to check it out. And so let's welcome to the show. And I hope I don't funck this up. But Lavinya Lavinia, you got it, you got all right?

0:46 As like one of my biggest fears always it's mispronouncing the band's name. Like if I kind of think I know it, then I'm okay. If I look at him like I better, then I'll like Google search. I'm doing another interview for them to say it. Not not a press person. I want to hear the band say it, because. Yeah, sometimes those press people they'll say it wrong, but the band won't correct them. And like, if you do the. Wrong research, you're gonna say it wrong too. Right, And okay. So I do festivals all over the US, UK and Europe, and my trick there is I have the band say it like because you're doing one after another after another, so sometimes you don't really have time. So I'll be like, I'll announce me and i'll say it and I'm with and I'll give them the mic and then and then I know I won't screw up the band name because to me, as a press person, that would be the most embarrassing thing to do.

1:48 Thank you. Uh. The only thing that would be worse is if you were not a metal head and didn't know metal music and your interviewing metal bands. Yeah, I'm sure, I guess I've seen it a lot of times too, and it's like you could see the look in the band's eyes like, oh, come on really, but and that's me. I won't take an interview unless I like the music, Like, how can you promote somebody's music if you don't like it or don't know it? You know, good to hear it made the cut the because. Yeah, say, you definitely made the cut. And so let's start off with for the listeners that don't know much about you, how would you guys as artists describe your band.

2:36 I don't mean in some you know, genre specific bullshit, you know, because it's so ridiculous nowadays. I kind of like to hear what the artists how they you know, would paint the picture of what their music is for sure. Well, I guess i'd say it's kind of at least the more recent stuff, it's like epic, somewhat symphonic metal. You know, are singer does like the operatic you know, high singing or trying to make it a little bit more accessible to the mainstreams. We got think the heavy rifts are kind of first and foremost, and then like the operatic stuff kind of sprinkled in on top. So I think like more mainstream ish, like disturbed perhaps sounding with more.

3:18 Epic, except except it's more disturbing, which in metal that would always be a compliment. We'll take it. We'll take that, yeah, right. Uh and yeah, So I love the fact that first of all, you said opera and you are kind of a symphonic metal band. And what I love about that is people don't realize that metal is actually a derivative of classical and and and sometimes opera based. I mean, look at Halford. Halford was an opera singer, you know. The Paganini stuff that I like. That guy was like and on the violin way back in the day.

4:01 And then we get the. The Devil and Ralph Mascio in their in their Crossroads competition where Stevey is the Devil and he's playing they're playing a lot of that same stuff. It's it's Paganini. Rips right exactly, you know. And it's like it's interesting that people they they think it's like this. Just this loud sound, trashy stuff. But metal musicians, to me are some of the best musicians there is because not only are you playing technically difficult music, but you're doing it heavy and fast. Totally. Yeah. I mean, I think that's what drew me in metal initially, is because like I was playing guitar.

4:46 It wasn't necessarily a metal head. I just really liked playing the guitar. And I heard like shred for the first time, I was like, oh my god, I didn't know you could do this on the instrument. Where do I find more of this? And of course metal was where you find it. That's the only place where you can find it. So that's you know, here we are now. It wasn't until we we were both on one of these other like similar sorts of interviews and Alan both had like the same answer about like what a what album really like drove you into getting into this like style of music, and it was my favorite Joe Satrianni album, Strange Beautiful Music. I never heard that mentioned by like anybody, but like that was such a watershed album for me because it like it showed you how you could speak and communicate this like this language of guitar without using any words, and nothing sounded like and it's a no skip album front to back, a lot of different vibes from like the the orient infor melody to the the James Bondie sounding song in the middle, and then a couple of heavy seven string stuff like It's just it spanned so many different feelings but amazing what that guy did with the guitar.

5:56 Nice and you know, I also say that well, usually my question is more about what was the first gig you went to that you went, oh my god, this is what I want to. Do my first metal gig or just like gig. Gig at any gig, you know, Like my first one wasn't a metal gig. Yeah. First, I mean the first show I ever saw me I don't think this is the one made me think I'm gonna do this. But the first show I ever saw when I was eleven years old was the Spice Girls. Wow, that is so metal, and I have a funny story to tell you about that, but that is so cool.

6:37 I like that eleven years old with my mom seeing the Spice Girls. But in terms of what I think maybe want to go that route, yeah, I think it might have been Joe Satrianni. When did I see him? I was like seventeen. I think that's when I discovered that same album Strange People from Music, and I was like, this is my thing. This isn't to play guitar for Oh. Also the Red Hot Leepeppers. Perhaps I saw them first. Nice a big one for me. Yeah. So now did you see them old school or once they already were commercial? Yeah, this would have been right around Californication. By the way, it's like two thousand dish early two thousands, okay, at their peak at that time.

7:18 Nice. Yeah, so, I you know, for me, it's like, okay, So my first gig ever, what I don't even call it my first concert because it was Beatlemania at Madison Square Garden, so it wasn't really the Beatles, but it was you know, it was really cool. And then my next concert after that was Journey with Lover Boy. Oh. Nice, that's that's phenomenal, right, and that what Steve Perry was still singing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was nineteen seventy nine. Okay, hell yeah Okay. And then so I'm originally from Jersey. My dad moved me to California in nineteen eighty. If you can imagine the best time to be a teenager, move into the Sunset Strip area.

8:09 Ya, you know, oh my god, last night. Like so the first gig I have, club gig I ever went to, which really like like, I was into music, I was into metal before that, but this just brought. Me into the scene. Was at the Roxy Motley Crue before they had an album. They weren't glam yet, they were horror punk and they were trying to light the Roxy on fire to bring Satan in. And I was sold. I was like, I'm never going to a real concert again, man. And I started going to clubs on the on the Strip, the Troubadour, the Country Club in Resiita, you know all the places, the infamous eighties La places like every Friday and Saturday night from that day on. And that it is funny too, because like I think about now when I'm in La and I go to the Rainbow. I'm like, I'm looking at somebody at the door id and everybody.

9:12 I'm like, how did I get in there? When I was thirteen years old? Oh yeah, I was walking in with Motley Crew, you know, and stuff like that. So I think for metal too, it's about the music, but it's also about the scene and the people. You know. It's like, I've gone to many different types of music concerts. There's only one type of concert or festival I'll go to where you hardly ever see a fight. Everybody's a big family, and that's a metal show. Everybody thinks it's violent. Yeah. When my dad took me to my first show show, it was a children about I'm opening a for I think a fear factory or somebody like that at the.

9:59 House of Blues. And when it was still in Disneyland, right, he was a chatting with the security guards there and they say like, oh no, these metal people are like the most best behave crowd we had. It's the country guys that start on the fights and get kicked out. See I'll tell you what's funny about that. Okay, So one, this is like several years ago, Like I go on tour and I do coverage of music festivals all over the. US, UK and Europe. And there was one time there were two on the same weekend that I got credentials for, and I knew I couldn't show up to both, so I had There's this girl that worked for me. She was a country girl, never been to a rock show ever. I'm like, hey, you gotta go cover this festival. It's near the studio.

10:45 You don't have to go too far, you know, because I gotta go into this other one. And she was really kind of scared about it, because you know, metal heads scare people. And I laugh with a lot of my rs friends were like, yeah, let's keep them thinking that you know, it'll keep it'll kick the assholes out, it kiss the assholes out, okay. And so I said to her, I'm like, listen, you don't understand, okay. You go to these country shows where a bunch of rednecks are getting drunk on Jack Daniels and getting into fights. That doesn't go on at metal festival. In fact, what's. Gonna happen is you're probably gonna make a bunch of new friends. You're probably gonna meet some dude, and you're gonna have the best time of your life.

11:30 So she might get hurt from like hugging somebody too hard. I know, right exactly. You know, you go to a metal show and you got you got these big, scary looking dudes wearing shirts that say free hugs, you know, or signs that say free hug. And so she comes back and she's like, oh my god, you're so right. I made all these new friends. Everybody was so cool. I tea bagged some guy and he's now my boyfriend. And I found this new my new favorite band. I don't know if you know them. They're called Bring Me the Horizon. I'm like, yeah, I think I kind of know who. They are, tremendous acting right exactly, and it's like it just proves the point, you know.

12:20 And it's funny. Every time I do. Talk to like country people and they talk about the metal shows that they've never been to, I'm like, please, you guys are ridiculous. You guys get in the fights instead of having fun. You know. I was at a show on the East Coast once in the you know, metal venue, and metal band was playing and there's a huge mosh pitch. It's like going nuts, right, and then somebody in the middle of the pit is just like I dropped my contact lens and like like five giant dudes are like we got you, and it's like form a circle around this dude so that nobody can get them. Like they're all strangers of course. And this guy like ryking around with this phone for like two minutes and then like finds his contact lens and everyone high fives, like great job. Everyone back to the pit, right, everyone's exact same experience.

13:10 Yeah, just like the last like our Enemy show, like this year, like we lost their glasses and like we're all like, nobody step on anything. This guy needs to see. I had that couple of years ago at grass Pop where I forgot like usually I'll take my sunglasses off and hand them to somebody or put them in my pocket, but I you know how when sometimes you're wearing them, you forget they're on. So I jumped into the machine head pit. Next thing, I know no clue where my glasses were, And some chick came up and she was the one being brutal backing everybody off, and she went through the whole mess of the pit that was being brutal looking for my glasses.

13:53 For me, and I'm like, sweet, that's the coolest shit ever. You know, you don't get anywhere else. No, and then speaking and bring me a horizon. It was a couple of years ago. They were headlining Download and I was in their pit and there was this dude. It's always these dudes. This dude was like huge. He was like Andre the Giant, you know, and he goes in like he's missedter tough, hard ass, Like I don't understand why these big dudes think they're tough heart asses taking on little dudes in the pit, Like I am a little dude and I will fuck you up. Man, if you're that big dude, that's being an asshole because I'm quicker than you. So I'm gonna come around the pit.

14:36 I'm gonna get low, and I'm gonna lunge up like Mike tyst on elbow you and I'll be on the other side of pit before you know who. It was okay, but this dude was trying to take everybody out, like not in a fun way, and it was great because everybody was like pushing on them stuff. And then this dude that. Was bigger than him, which I couldn't even imagine because this guy was here, walked up to him and like, hey, why you try somebody your own size, and he removed him from the pit. And that dude, he was scared because the whole time he was on the outskirts of the pit and he was not entering at all. Like he was literally removed from the pit. That's the way life should be.

15:21 Yeah, and I've been absolutely rocked by like dudes half my size in the pit, like the bigger you are the hard fall. Hell yeah. I remember being a teenager and one of my best friends he was a big dude. He never had been a mash bit before, so he decided to do with a lot of big dudes do. He got into the pit facing the oncoming traffic and like used his you know, I'm I'm big and tough, like he's gonna push people by a way. Not only did he. Get slaughtered, but I slaughtered him myself, just to teach him a lesson, Like, dude, no, that don't go on here. You're you're my bro, I love you. That that ain't how it happens here. No, Yeah, I don't know.

16:04 You know who I'm afraid of. And the pit is the chicks. They're the ones that are the most badass man, and they're they're scared of nothing. It's like, right, totally, Like I don't know what we were thinking in the eighties because you know, we were the gatekeepers and the chick shouldn't be in the pit. But you know what, they deserve the pit more than we do. That's what I say. Totally, totally, Yeah, they earned it. You're in the first place. Yeah, exactly. You know, so tell us a little bit about you know, I like what you're doing with the new music. You're dropping like four singles separately, but there are four different vibes of the band, which which I love that nowadays too, because like sometimes some of the sub genres, I think they're using like an algebraic equation to create metal music, like they I can't believe that.

17:02 When I was a kid, everybody. Used say to me, all that music just all sounds the same, and I'd be like, you don't know what you're talking about, because it didn't. Now it does a lot of times. So it's like usually I could tell any band, and sometimes now it's like which band is that? Like, because it's the same refs, it's the same style. So I love the idea that you're. Making four different songs that are different vibes of the band. I love that, sweet man, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Yeah, they're all kind of written separately, so like some of those songs were written years ago, and then some of those songs were written like the week of Like I joined that band thinking that there were already songs written for the studio sessions they had booked, then realizing like the day before, oh no, there were no songs. They just booked studio time and then hired me. Like right, I'm like, shit, no, I don't. I don't have any song.

17:59 I mean right, I write them real quick. There's one, the one, the last one we're gonna release, was written half in the studio on the day, So it's like kind of spur of the moment. I love that. Some of those are the best songs, though, the ones that bands write like day of while they're in the studio to write in it. Yeah, and you gotta write them quick because sudio timing sheep. You know it's not Sometimes we work best under pressure. Like I might have like a year to do a thing, but I'm like yeah, yeah, I'll think about it and have some like sketches in my head maybe if I think that far ahead, but then uh, you know, comes crushed oni like shit, I actually need to do this now and make it good. Yeah, well that's like me too, you know, like if I do voiceovers ninety percent of time, first stake one and done. If I don't get done the first time, it takes me like twenty because then you're overthinking it.

18:53 Like first time, you just get on to it and like, okay, that's perfect. You know, after that, you're just like being super analytical against yourself. Yeah. If I have like retracted the same part like a dozen times or so, it's usually like the second or third one that's like the best of the bunch, And if it takes any more than that, then try again later. Exactly wrong vibe at the time. So going back to Spice Girls, Okay, so. Happy to talk about Spice Girls all day long. I interviewed Skinner three times. That's pretty right, they were so they're always so fun and but the best time was so. I normally ask bands, especially bands like that that have such a long history and have probably so many stories, I'll be like, so and I had to kind of change it because I was like, usually I say like, so if you were eighty, but you know, they were so old I think I pushed it up to like ninety or something.

19:56 And I'm like, one. Story, good or bad, your whole musical journey, what would it be? And Rosington answered immediately and he's like, oh, when we had sex with the Spice girls backstage. And then he goes, wait, edit that, Uh, don't let that air. Oh my god. I'm like, that's so funny. Question. Is that one of the best or one of the worst. I know, right, you know, they are some good old boys. Then they're interviews that are laughing the whole interview. And that's what I love about iconic bands. They have no idea that they're iconic. Rock Stars that are really rock stars have no idea they're a rock star. And they didn't never tried to be a rock star. They're just musicians, you know, And that I think is the difference. If you go to try to be a rock star. First of all, there is no such thing anymore. Second of all, you probably suck.

20:56 I've got this exact same sentiment when I've gone to like festivals and like the bigger shows and stuff, or even the bands that will play it, they'll they'll do their set and then they'll get off stage and you'll see them in the crowd like the whole time. I Michael Stain from Dark Tranquility is like a perfect example of this. He's in like a dozen different bands and they're all really active, and every time he's not on stage, I see him in the crowd, like if not front and center, then like towards the periphery of the pit or something, just like locked eyes on stage, just having a ball. That's the way it should be. You should be a fan first, you know. I've had those experience a lot of times at the festival. I kind of laugh because, like example, one time I was sitting watching a set with Chris motionless, but he didn't have his makeup on.

21:45 So I was just laughing to myself because everybody around us had no clue it was him, which I think is cool, because you know what, they're people first there, fans first. If they're out in the crowd, leave them alone, let them enjoy themselves, say or whatever. It's fine, but like you know, don't act like fanboyish or fangirl is shout. You know, that's their safe zone there and they're just having fun. Now, don't bring up your whole catalog to like sign while you're dodging elbows. I know, right exactly, a bad signature. If you're in the pit, there's not going to be saved on up surface to. I know, right exactly. So what would you say for both of you, guys? Is one of your most iconic moments, good or bad, in your musical journey doesn't even have to be in this band, just in general.

22:36 Iconic moments. I guess there's two that come to mind. One was when I was in junior year of high school, my band director I was I played percussion in like the orchestra, and he got win to the fact that I was in the metal guitar and he's like, there's a there's a piece I've always wanted to do. And it was a concerto for wind ensemble and electric guitar that the dude who composed it does a lot of music for Mortal Kombat, so that gives you, like some of some idea of like what it was like. And so it was like, you know, me shrinding it up with like a whole like you know, their high school orchestra, but still an orchestra. And it was like, this is it, Like this is the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Nice would you know? There's been cooler things since, but that was a good one. On the other end of the spectrum was not even a gig or anything that I did, but a band I used to be in.

23:20 We got a message on Facebook from this guy who like had I don't even remember what it was that he had, but it's like really like awful disease and like could barely walk and stuff, and wrote us this thing and like you know, we're we're like a local band in La. This guy from Poland somehow got wind of us, and he's like, hey, love your music. You know, helps me get out of bed in the morning, and like it really means a lot to me that you would like so I relate to it. I was like, dude, this is the reason anyone does this, right. It's like that's what it's all about, right there, man. For sure. So that really that was like fifteen years ago, but that stays with me for sure. It's like anytime I'm feeling down, it's like, no, man, I gotta gotta do it, got to keep doing it. It means something to someone somewhere exactly. Mind's been like almost exactly the same vein it was the I think it was. It was in a thrash band that was playing with a.

24:06 Long while ago, or I thought, I get it about it again as I kind of repeated this cycle with my other band, Anubis, when the first time I was in the act and we'd played our show and somebody comes up to our merch book Buyson album and then asks us all to sign it like the that we started with, like playing some songs or having an idea that became a song, and then those songs became this performance and we performed and meant something to this person's face in the crowd that liked it so much and resonated with it so much that they wanted to take a piece of us home with them, and that just being included in that, and that was the first time I like was asked to do that that made me feel like a rock star, even if it was like just a smaller venue, local show, that kind of thing, like just.

24:58 That like we were saying that connection and that's what this all means. I love it. I love it. See and the fact that you guys, like the expression on your face when you're telling these stories tells me how much you love what you do. And there's a lot of musicians that don't. And I don't get it, Like you're in the wrong business. If the part that's the most fun of the business you don't look like you're having fun doing. You know, when you see people on stage and they look like they're miserable up there, I'm like, that's the most fun part of being a musician. Like the rest of it kind of sucks. You might want to get out of the business. I've had photographers tell me that it's like real tough to capture like a like mean looking, like metal shot of me on stage because I can't sound like grinning from ear to ear as I'm playing. Because it's like, it's fun. That's why we're here, That's why I do this.

25:52 That's why the nonsense bits of it and. That with like you put up with like way three hours a day worth a shit to play an hour set. Okay, totally love every second of it. There you go, all right, So tell everybody how they can get your new song. Check out all everything about you and uh, you know, become a fan totally. Well, it's on all the streaming platforms, your Spotify's, your Apple Music, so all all that stuff. The music video is out on YouTube. You can find us on Instagram at Lavinia Official. It's E L E V I N I a official same thing website lavinia official dot com.

26:37 All of our stuff is there, our links are there. You can follow us on all this. You can go there and buy some merch We got a few T shirts. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They that they have to buy your merch or they can't listen to my show anymore. That's Spotify. It is really the role that I have on my show because people don't realize that's the only way you're getting to the next gig man. You know, like people, this is your job. This is how you eat, like support your bands that you love so that they can continue doing giving you the love. That's like you like what we do. Take a piece of us home with you, that's excited about that? Exactly exactly. Well.

27:20 I also, I think my final question will be since I made a big deal about it in the beginning, do you have a story of the person that pronounced your band name the worst in an interview. That's the band name the worst. I don't know about interviews, like I've definitely like, we've definitely been announced as weird names. I think something like that. I think might have been one at some point. I don't remember being called back in an interview. Face to face is usually last second, like and welcome to the stage. No, no, no, no, no, I guess.

28:03 You don't want to put up you know, it would be a funny prank to do, like go on tour, but go on tour with yourself and call the opening band lavignya. Perfect and it's actually you. Yes, like another Jared Threatened situation. You can even like put masks on or something so and see how many people are stupid enough to think it is a different band. Yeah, it'll just be a Levina cover band opening for Lavinia. Yeah, there you go. Yeah perfect. Oh I love it. That's great. Well you guys, Yes, that's the other thing. Yeah yeah, see benefit for everybody. Well you guys rock I love it, And uh, keep doing what you're doing.

28:46 Can't wait for the rest of your new music to come out. And thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man. My pleasure thank. You for listening to the Adventures of. Pipe on W four c u I Radio. Mhmm.