PipemanRadio Interviews Seven Hours After Violet at Welcome To Rockville 2025

0:04 Hi, you love done too? Yes, that's true. Woe Wow Crazy. You Welcome to Rockville, North America's largest rock festival is finally here. This is pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio and I'm here with. More Goth Alejandro Taylor, Josh Johnson from Seven Hours After Violet. Nice, You're welcome to Rockville. Did you just ride the speedway? Oh? We were going fast and we were going left nice. Did they come chasing you? Yes? I'm scared. Yeah, I was pretty scared for my life and went down Pitt Lane. I thought that we were gonna die, we were going so fast, but the golf cart lady saved us.

0:52 Nice. She was a great driver. She won Daytona, so that's good for her. That's why I want to see like golf cart races out there. That would be that I'm gonna I'm gonna tell them next year that's what they should do as like an added bonus to the festival, like a super vip. You get to watch the golf cart races on the speedway. I love that. Yeah. So have any of you played at Rockville before in your other projects? At all? Friday? You played on Friday I. Played, Yeah, I'm in that other band left to suffer. Yeah. I did one o'clock on Friday, same stage that we're playing today, So it's cool. It's good to come back.

1:32 So you're used to it, right, Yeah. I came back and all the security was just like, what's up, man, You're playing again. I was like, again, I'm gonna do it again, but at like later date, which is cool. So how wild is it as hot as it was on Friday? The crowd that you had out there. It was insanity. I was like so nervous because we played like early, but people just showed out and it was incredible and we had a great set and a lot of energy, a lot of crowds ever a lot of mashing, which is crazy because I was like, man, you wouldn't catch me dead camping and coming out like, bro, I'm such a prematona. I was like, I can't do this. This is but people are out there shirtless, like throwing elbows at people at literally eleven o'clock in the morning. Half the time rinting in through the gates. I was like, man, these guys are savages, dude, It's crazy.

2:14 I know. I have much honor for them. Because I love demache. But when it's like a hundred degrees out I have made for I'm like, yeah, I'll wait for later. Yeah, I don't bag for it, dude. I was just waiting for someone to drop our entire sec. I'm so hot on stage even out because it was at noon and I was like the sun was beaming at that point. It was like nineteen eight degrees ninety nine degrees when we were playing Wow. And you know, I'm from the South, so I'm used to the humidity, but it's still. I moved to LA, so I got like, like decommissioned from it. I know. Now I come back and I'm like, oh my gosh, how did I live? How did I live in this? Dude? This is miserable. It's funny because I used to live in LA and I live in South Florida. Now this is normal weather in me, and I still can't handle it.

2:54 It's rough. But now I go back to LA and like, I thought it was warm here. No, I like, I remember it being warm yeah before I got to Florida. Absolutely. And then my friends are all like, man, it's human today. I'm like, what are you talking about? You don't know what humidity is no doubt from the South. It's different. So that's cool. And I have my hat's off to you guys even playing this shit. Man, I don't even know how you do it. Thanks, bro, We're happy. That's what's definitely cool. And let's talk about the band and your message because that's really important, I think, and what you talk about in your songs and your mental health awareness and anxiety because it's so rampant nowadays and I think people need help and music to me is the best therapy.

3:39 Yeah, for sure. That was something when Yeah, we were just making the album. Honestly, it almost was like an unspoken thing. We just would work on lyrics and just fall into like ideas of that. I think it's one of those things that's so common now you don't even really have to think about it so much because everyone has some sort of issue. Yeah, everyone has some sort of mental health issues, so talking to it and music is a good therapy because it's like a release for it. Yeah, totally, I've said all along, Like, first of all, that two year lockdown, I think that's what made people even more anxiety, more pissed, more mental health problems and stuff because they had no outlet, like we're talking about the pit. For me, I go in the pit to get all my shit out so I'm not beating the shit out of somebody or worse, and you get out in the pit.

4:26 Yeah, definitely not going to concerts. All that sucked and it definitely took a harder toll on some people than others. But yeah, it's not like we're trying to be the flag bears for like guys were aware of mental health. It's like we're just writing songs that felt cool to us. That's what's important. If it's good for you guys and cool to you guys, then you're going to attract your people. So nowadays, I think, here's my idea. We should have a music festival that the whole world is required to attend one mass festival so that we can all be united and get therapy at the same time. And I think that's how we'll solve the world's problems.

5:09 That's great. That lineup would be crazy. It's almost like how hell Fest was after COVID, Because I did that hell Fest three hundred and sixty bands wow, in seven days that I don't know how I survived. It was like one hundred and four. There too, I was. Doing interviews where literally the sweat was dripping down all of our faces. My eyes were burning, I couldn't even see who I was interviewing, and like it was wild. So who would be your in terms of this worldwide fest? Who would be the headliner? That's a good question if it were my choice. Yeah, I'll give you my radio answer and then my me answer. Okay, my radio answers you guys.

5:50 Oh, cray, it's not going to bring world peace. I don't know if my answer would bring world priests, but it would be Slayer. That's crazy. Yeah, this is my battle vest from the eighties. Wow, I was at Slayer's first show ever, Metallica's first show ever. That's why I have this. Yeah. I got exploited on there, discharged somewhere, I got deafen susil, I got the Battalion of Saints exciter what exodus? Yup? And you know it's back in the day where you didn't buy a vest, you bought the denim. I did all this shit like dark Angel and then here's the history of what happened to me in the pit on this side. Oh and that thing Slayer in the back.

6:38 They didn't have Slayer Patrick yet, so I just put that on there. People thought I was a gang banger in La and that was my gang name. Because that's sick Slayer no posers, because we were in that gatekeeper time. You know that's actually sick, right. I got dri on here, like I have a bunch of bands on here that I wasn't allowed to go to their shows then because I had long hair and you got your ass beat. It was stupid. Wow. Yeah, so I see a lot of crossover thrash bands. Are you from La La? So was there like still in this time period when you made this vest like a big gap between metal and punk or was this like yeah, a lot more that's what it was starting to be more united. Here's the thing, because you have like SD you have a lot of like yeah, jasonson.

7:26 Metal heads love like the thrash metow ads. I was a toll thrash metal head. We love punk, but we couldn't go to punk shows. Even Suicidal Okay, Suicidal was punk before they crossed over. Yeah, if you were a long hair went to. A Sue Boy show, because that's when they were the suiy Boy, they would have switchblades in the pit and they will shank you if you're a long hair And it was same opposite too. The first I went to the first crossover show ever and it was at this place, the Sun Valley's Sportsman's Lodge. It was like an Elks lodge and there was no security, and it was the first time punks and metal heads were as show together.

8:09 On the punk side it was Coc pre Pepper, which I think I have them on here somewhere. It was Suicidal pre Crossover and it was the Descendants. On the metal side, it was Possessed Dark Angel and the Span Savage Grace, who was a big thrash band then, and it was absolute fucking mayhem, Like I don't think I've ever in a bit a more brutal show. There was no place to hide. I have a vision in my head of just people flying through the air because they were all diving off to rafters, cris crossing. It was insane. And when I interviewed COC twice, one time with Mike and one time with Woody. You may not remember this show, but and I just started to say one thing. They both did the same thing. It was at like an Elk's Lodge right, Oh my god, that was the most epic show ever. And that's what really started us being able to go to shows together and stuff and where we could come mingle.

9:07 Okay, that's awesome. Yeah, I figured since you were there and you had all the different things, I'm just curious. Yeah, back then there was some you couldn't do anything. I went to get my spikes at posers in on Melrose. Oh yeah, it's still there, right, and but at that time, so I brought my punk friends with me because you weren't allowed to go there if you were a metal head. So I'm like, I feuar, okay, if I go with my punk friends. They were friends with the owners. It's cool. We walk in. Thirty seconds later, my bros. We need to get out and I'm like why, and he's like, I'll tell you when we get outside, and he pulls us out. Yeah, the owners gave some respect because they know us, and they gave us thirty seconds to get you at the store before they were going to kick the shit out of you.

9:49 Crazy times. It's wild, right, Like we were the ones the metal heads were getting kicked and the shit kicked out of us by the jocks, the punks were getting the shit kicked out of them a job. Why didn't we band together? I don't get it. Well, figured it out eventually with all this crossover. Something no doubt, no doubt. I think Venom was a big part of it. Of course, Motorhead Slayer because Lombardo and Jeff were punks and Carrie and Tom were the metal heads. Tom wasn't even a metal head like. The band's like nost Front, Croaton, Mags. I love fun stuff. I love all them too, Hazard Like we should be able to listen to whatever the fuck we want now. All the best stuff is a blend of that.

10:29 That's what I love. Like yesterday I interviewed one band that they were Thrashed that bring in hardcore and the other band Hardcore that brought in thrash, and I love that. Yep. Today, I think. It's most important to blend, and because everybody sounds the same with this algebraic equation sometimes like these songs are written so if you have a blend of different influences of the band members, you come up with something unique. And I think that's what you guys have. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, I think Nowaday is it's been like a long time since then. Punk metal and hardcore just like constantly are an interlapping thing that you can see that today there's tons of bands that are from hardcore with it sound metal, and yeah, we have like hardcore parts we have, we all have, we have metal parts. We purposefully tried to blend that stuff.

11:17 So tell us how this all started. Yeah, so me and Chavo started writing songs together. Just as I'm a songwriter and producer for a lot of different bands and artists. I was just like, hey, let's try writing some songs together and see if we have anything I could pitch to any artists I'm producing. And we started writing it, and I was like, this doesn't really sound like anything. I couldn't pitch it to anyone. It's like system of a down but more like modern heavy. I was like, let's just make a solo project for you and do something a little heavier on the heavier side, also a melodic too, but right a little further than you would have probably gone naturally otherwise. So then we started doing that, and the first idea was to like get a bunch of different guest vocalist and come up with some cool epic album of all these features kind of like cal to metal vibe. But as we were making the music, all the people around us and like his management team and all that was like, Yo, this is coming out great. You should just start a band like this because you can tour and all that. So we were writing music, but then found a singer like what direction to go in? And I started producing Taylor's band's album, Leap of Death I Have to Suffers, And in the process of producing that, Ali Hondro here did guest vocals on it two songs, and me and Taylor were huge fans of him. I've known him since he used to come to hardcore shows and Pomona back in.

12:29 The day where he's from Nice. But then we all saw him on TV and an American idol and all super big fans of his music. I was like, this pairing of vocalists would be sick in the band. So brought the idea to Chavo and he loved both of them, and Josh and him are in a band called wins A Play Together, so I brought him along to start like jamming pretty early when we were writing songs to give the songs the real have like a player on it. Yeah, we write the songs that program drums and then bring it to him and he'd play the drums. Nice. Yeah. So basically just kind of like that. That's kind of the rough view, you know. It was just like started one way and in another way. What were you thinking when he came to you with this? Initially I was just like writing music with him and there was like no, it wasn't like, hey, this is a band, this is going to be for someone else.

13:12 But then it was like then I started hanging out with Shava and writing with them together, and then it was just one time Shaw was on the phone, He's like, yeah, Josh is playing drums. So I was like sick. But I was never like initially a talk about me playing drums. But I'm glad I worked out because like, we all get along very well too, So it's so c it's almost like it was meant to be, and we all vibe. We all vibe, and I'm digging, like, especially when it comes to our music. Our music really shows the vibe of everyone. So it's it's a cool little all star lineup. That's I love it. And your music is badass, man, I love about it. Is a lot of people may think, oh, it's going to sound like System or whatever. It doesn't sound like anybody, and that's why I love that it sounds like you guys.

13:56 Yeah, we purposefully didn't want to run away from like Chavo's natural rift fighting abilities because of System is one of those bands they play three notes and you know it's them. There's like instant identity there, and granted, we didn't want to run away from that all the way. Like we're like, no, play what you naturally would write. If it sounds like something you maybe would do for System, fine, but when Taylor and Alejandro sing on it, it sounds different. They write vocals differently than and like approach that differently than obviously Surgeon Darren would you know. And then there's parts too that like System would never have, like some modern breakdowns and just things like that. We just write what we wanted to hear, and we just felt like there was a little bit of an open lane in terms of a lot of modern bands have done been super influenced by Lincoln Park, been super influenced by Slipknot.

14:39 You know, there's lots of that out there, and like other bands too, but no one's really done the like modern heavier version. Yeah, no, one's really done that system thing where because they're such a weird band, but they're so sick it doesn't matter. So I was like, well, let's just do naturally what you would do and just blend our styles because me, Taylor and Josh come from like death, you know, and Alejandro is like a hardcore kid, but he comes from the more like shreddy acoustics singer songwriter world, and we're just like blend all that together to see what it makes. And how about you, what were you thinking when you were approached? I yeah, I didn't really think much, honestly. It's like a spur of the moment and it was awesome, like just to write music in general with these guys too.

15:23 So I've been a fan of all their bands and everything that they've done, so me coming in, I just wanted to hear the melodies and see. Where you can go. And now we're here, it's nice. It's dope. It's really dope and what you want a to it. It was just the craziest thing to get asked to try out because right before we left, Morgoth played one of the songs that he was writing with Chavo, and I was just like hey, like jokingly, because I was like, no way, this dude's gonna want me to. I'm a death core vocalist. Dude doesn't want me in his fucking band. So I was just like, hey, if you ever need a vocalist, hit me up. And then I go home and then I get hit up and then I try out with I think it was feel and I sent it back and then Chavo ends up calling me and being like, bro, like this is incredible. I want you to.

16:05 I want you to do another song. So I did Float and he was just like you're in bro, Like, I was just I love your voice to he was just like gassing me up. And it was just such a weird thing because I've been such a fan of System since I was like a child, but I'm twenty seven, so like I was a child when I first heard the Mean and it was just it was it's just overwhelming, and then it's even working with these guys bro, Like, I was a fan of everyone in the band, So it's cool to be able to respect and also like to collaborate with people that you've just been like, Wow, these guys are incredible, you know what I mean. It came so like naturally too. We all got to the studio. I tracked what it was like, sixteen songs in two weeks or something like that, and then he can me and Alejandro just clicked immediately. It was ridiculous, like we were working on my other end because he featured, like he said, on two of the songs on my other band, and I was like, man, I love this guy. And then I ended up joining this other band. And then he comes in and I'm like, dude, this is like the easiest person I've ever had to like work with, oh vocally on something. And now we're like inseparable like everything that we do. It's like, well, it's like someone works like, oh, I want Taylor, but we also want Alejandro, and it's just I'm like, I'm cool with that dude.

17:08 I'm like, he's the end of my yang vocally, bro. And I just I couldn't ask for a better group of people to make music and play music live with. It's crazy, It's just insane. I love hearing that too between two vocals, because I always think it's kind of be really hard to sync with another vocalists and be able to do it unless you have that chemistry. Dude. I have never been able to work with somebody so like fluently other than him on vocals because it's usually like one person's trying to shine and yeah, person's trying to take the lead, and it's like he's just yo, dude, let's just make something cool. And I'm the same way, and whoever sounds best on this, let's just do that, you know what I mean. And then he writes stuff and I'm like that's incredible. And then I write stuff and he's like that's incredible. So it's never been like a I write something, He's like I could do better than that, you know what I mean. It's there's no ego involved, and I think that, Yeah. Still it's crazy with vocalists. It's hard, bro, there's a lot of ego, in no doubt. It's so it's hard to get to.

18:03 I guess he's a tie to your vocalist. He's been. He came in sick. I'd a fucking American idol. I didn't know what to expect, but I just, like I said, it was just so fluent, like natural, And now I never want him to leave my side. It's awesome. And it's good to hear there's a good vocalist from American. I old because have you seen that? Shut the fuck up? Girl? Have you seen no? Okay, you gotta look it up. Oh Sovie Powers, Oh my god. I was like, that was the funniest shit I ever saw. She knew she wasn't getting on, but she's awesome. I'm like obsessed with it. Actually, She's like when she did that, I was looking at and I'm like I had to watch it like fifty fucking times because I was so obsessed.

18:45 She's awesome. Yeah, No, what she does is that what's the trend? She stopped the trend? Now, her trend was to wear a band aid there that was her look. Okay, I'm gonna tell you guys something funny too. Okay. I came back here last night after Incubus to wait for Lincoln Park, and I met up with the hairstylists that's associated with you guys, because Mike introduced me. And I'm known for changing my hair up all the time and doing it for publicity, doing it on the air. My hair was blue just. A couple months ago, and nice, she's coming over here and she's gonna do my hair live and nice, and she wants to do it purple. I told her, you could do whatever the fuck you want in my hair now that my hair is short and not long out, give a fuck it grows back. Just do whatever the fuck you want. And it was funny because I was wearing yesterday a System shirt and I told her I specifically wore it yesterday because it would be fucking rude to wear it during the interview. Really, see, I think of that.

19:51 Yeah, we get it, dude, we get it, we get it. It's so much that it's not even rude, dude, because like we're fans too, you know what I like, It is totally okay to us because we did signings of Mexico. Kids are coming out to see Chavo and be like, dude, he's a system of doubt. So it's never like, oh, I can't believe this guy's weren't a system shure around me, you know what I mean? Because I would can wear one too, you know what I mean. I just think, if I'm interviewing you, that's super really Yeah, it's. So funny because I've actually heard that from somebody before I did the podcast interview and they were like, oh, I changed out of my System shirt. I was like, I don't care. I was like, I'm a fan too, dude. I was like, it's sick that I'm in a band with somebody from System. I'm like, I don't at all. It's like almost a fanboy moment for a musician. Yeah, all right, tell everybody how they can reach out to you guys on socials on the web. Check out all your music, your merch because they can't listen to my show unless they buy your merch.

20:43 That's awesome. Yeah, you can get everything at seven hours after Violet. That's on Instagram and everything too on Facebook. Right is that it? Yeah, just add seven hours after Violet you can find it's Instagram, TikTok. Yeah, we just found a new video for our song float and yeah, that's pretty pretty simple. Nice. I'm glad you're here. It Welcome to Rockville. It's badass. And do you have any other festivals coming up? Yeah, we have a lot. We're basically doing a run with Corn in Europe in a couple of weeks and playing Hell Fast Download. Festa at both of those clock there too. Yeah, Rock and Ring Rock and Park, Resurrection, some off shows.

21:24 Yeah, I'm well. See I approved for Resurrection. You guys should play Bloodstock too in August. I've heard about Yeah, I don't know you were playing. I think we have an off We have some off shows with Corn too. I think one with the Ben Sevenfold, one with Corn and Spirit Box. So if you're in Europe, we're gonna be all over. That's bitch love it. Thanks a lot, and thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man. Thank you, sir. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of pipe Man on w for c u I Radio.