Interviews

Interviews: Scrape

An Interview with Scrape (via Email)

Jeremy: For starters, tell Smother readers the story of Scrape.

Pheroze: Well, when I joined it was the fall of '97. I had just moved to NY and wanted to start up a band, so I saw an ad that john and duke had put out and answered it. They gave me a rough tape of three songs and I wrote lyrics and vocal parts to it and then tried out three days later. I was about the 6th singer they had auditioned. After I joined we wrote more songs, got tight, and started playing out. Our first gig was at Castle Heights in Queens with Brutal Truth. I'll let John tell you how he started the band up...

John: Well... for a couple of years I was in a thrash band. We really only got around in queens. The band didn't go anywhere really but it was a real learning experience. At one point I just got fed up with the whole thrash thing and the direction the band was headed... so the bass player in that band and I would get to rehearsal early. He'd play drums, and we'd bash out some Fear Factory and Cannibal Corpse stuff. We even worked a few concepts for originals. At this point we left the band and started the project that would become Scrape. We got our old bass player (we're currently looking for a new one) thru an ad in the local music papers. So there you had it. Or so we thought. Then my friend Duke came down to the studio one night to hang. He hopped behind the kit for a bit and blew the doors off of the guy we had. He was so much better than the other guy that the other guy stepped down voluntarily. And that's where the quest for a vocalist began... and you know where it goes from there.

Jeremy: Your music is some of the heaviest and most eclectic I've ever heard. Who would you list as influences?

Pheroze: I guess my favorite vocalists and biggest influences are Mike Patton, Chris Cornell, Phil Anselmo and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan...not really at all similar to how I sing in Scrape, but all of them have very original styles, amazing control over their voices and brilliant lyrics. I find a lot of the vocalists in Death Metal get really monotonous, both lyrically and vocally, really fast. But there are some really good vocalists out there. Ross from Immolation blows me away with his lyrics and the intensity with which he delivers them. The guys from Dying Fetus have a really good two-man attack too. As far as bands go, my favorites are At the Gates, Mr. Bungle, Soundgarden, Dying Fetus, Faith No More, Pantera, Down...it goes on and on.

John: I grew up on a steady diet of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and AC/DC. The next step in my evolution was Metallica. My biggest influences I think are Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy, Machine Head, Fear Factory (their old stuff...) and Brutal Truth are my fav's. Especially their first disc!!! That just kills!!! As far as music I'm into now I've been really into Soilent Green, Disfigured, Internal Bleeding, Withered Earth, and people have just introduced me to Macabre, and this band from Illinois, Waco Jesus.

Jeremy: What are Scrape live shows like? I have a feeling that they're pretty crazy judging by the intensity of your demo.

Pheroze: They're definitely intense man. We love playing live, put as much into it as we have to give. I don't usually think when playing...I just do what I feel.

John: We're definitely a live band. We love to play out, and I think that people can tell that. We give all that we can every time. Sometimes we have to limp away from the stage with our gear, but if somebody says, "Fuck!! You guys are nuts!" being wounded is well worth it.

Jeremy: If given the chance to choose any band(s), with whom would you most like to share a stage?

Pheroze: Goddamn! I don't even know where to begin! We've played with a lot of great bands already.... I don't really care who the fuck we play with, I'll play with Britney Spears man!...and not just onstage...whoops... nah man seriously, I just love playing, so any shows we do are great with me.

John: I'd have to go with Pheroze there. We've played with so many great bands. I really just want to play out. If people show up, it's just that much better!!

Jeremy: How does the songwriting process work? How do you work in all of the ingenious breaks?

John: Usually it all starts out with some riffs I've worked out, or I'll just kick some ideas around with Duke (drums) and take it from there. We'll usually fuck around with stuff to the point of where it's not what I was envisioning, but its something better. Duke adds a lot to my sound. Usually after Duke and I have got a solid composition Pheroze works out the vocals.

Pheroze: Yeah, I do all the lyrics and vocals; just take a rough tape and listen to it to death and write down what I feel. Then I comb through the lyrics until it's what I want.

Jeremy: Are there any tours, albums or record deals looming on Scrape's horizon?

Pheroze: We just finished recording an EP of 5 songs that we're gonna release ourselves. It should be out in October. With that, we're gonna start hitting labels...we've had a few offers, but I'll leave it at that.

John: ...exactly.