A Conversation with Loki

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to do this again. In case there is a reader here who just crawled out of the grave, can you please introduce yourself?

I'm Loki and I’m currently the guitar player for Michale Graves. I'm also currently involved in some other projects.

So recently, you completed a tour of my home country Canada with Michale Graves. How was it and how were the shows?

The shows were great. Every time we've been to Canada the response has been fantastic. We love going up there!

How were the new band members?

Yea, we had a couple of guys fill in on the most recent Canadian run. Marc Poulin (Vagora, Argyle Goolsby) filled in on drums and Christopher Dean (Darrow Chemical Company, Children of October) filled in on bass. Those guys worked hard on learning all the material. We had a 25 song set list so there was a lot of homework to be done. They both helped us on short notice, especially Dean, who only had 3 days in advance to prepare. We all met up in New Jersey and kind of had a Michale Graves boot camp a few days before the tour. I couldn't be happier about the results. I think they did a tremendous job. They came through in the clutch and deserve a lot of credit.

Now, I remember when Gotham Road was supposed to come to Canada. My friend, since his uncle worked the bar, was going to the show and took a cd with him (he could only sneak in one minor) but, the show ended up getting cancelled because of boarder issues. How has touring Canada changed from then to now in your opinion?

It's night and day. Technology has helped us out a bit. Canadian Customs encourages us to send our personal information, exemption letter and itinerary ahead of time to make the border crossing easier. Canada changed their laws for US bands. A band in our situation no longer needs to obtain a work permit and there are no longer any fees to pay in order to cross. Hopefully our government will extend that courtesy to Canadian bands.

So, we know that you did an appearance for the new Goolsby album. How is that album shaping up and is there any other appearances that you can spill the beans on?

I'm really excited for Goolsby's new album. I recorded guitar on every song with the exception of one possibly. As of this interview I think he is just about ready to announce a release date. We shall see. I think everyone that was a fan of Blitzkid will be pleased with the new album. I'm happy to be a part of it. I have been offered to be a part of a couple of other projects, but there is no news to report on that yet. I am also working on solo material (I guess). I'm just going to keep on writing and recording until the creative juices run dry and see what I'm left with and how I'm going to present it. I never really wanted to be a solo artist and I'm not quite comfortable as a singer... But I'm gonna stay the course for now and see how I feel about it in the future.

I wanted to ask this at the show because it has been so long but, I didn’t get a chance to…also, beer played tricks with my crappy memory. Anything new in terms of Darrow Chemical Company?

Well, I haven't made any formal announcement regarding Darrow Chemical Company... But I have left that band. This quite honestly is the first time I have said anything public about it, but there's really no point in hiding it. People have just assumed anyway. As for reasons why I left... It was just time for me to move on. I worked with JV for nearly 20 years. He's been in just about every, if not every project I've been involved with since 1999. We've been through a lot. You don't see many guys at this level make it this long together. It was simply time for me to do other things with other people. I know folks like to make these things more than what they are and that’s unfortunate, but there's nothing else to it. I don’t know what's next for Darrow, but I know JV continues to write music and he will continue the band. Darrow is his baby. He'll do a great job with it just like he always has.

Is there any solo project or Metal bands in your future as well? The world needs as much Loki as it can get in my opinion!

I kinda answered this question earlier. I am writing and doing some preproduction for my own original material. Right now it's a solo project but I don't know how this material will manifest itself in the future. I am very excited about it though. As far as metal bands... Nothing is on my plate right now in the metal genre, but never say never. I'm always looking to join new and interesting projects regardless of their genre

Over the years, you have played with or shared the stage with some awesome musicians. Is there anyone living and/or dead that you would love to work with that you haven’t? A dream collaboration?

Simple! My dream collaboration would be to work with Jerry Cantrell. He has been one of my biggest influences. He's one of my favorite guitar players, but it's his creativity that blows me away. The guy is a genius and I would love to sit down with him one day and pick his brain.

You are a legend who has been flying the flag for us for a long time and have been a part of some of the most awesome albums ever. Does it ever throw you off when people mention how the music and bands you have been a part of has been so influential to them?

 Well you just caught me off guard by calling me a legend hahaha. It's very weird for me because I'm just a simple dude. I’m just an average guy that loves playing music. It's funny... the one album that is probably the most 'legendary' is one that never got an official release. The Gotham Road Seasons of the Witch demo is simply that, just a demo. We never released an album. I'll be looking to change that in the near future. Michale and I are discussing how we want to approach that. Nothing set in stone yet but I think an official release will happen for that album one way or another. But I'm always honored and humbled when people think that highly of me, my playing and especially the music.

So, like me, you may remember Myspace. Younger readers may not but, this was how bands used to connect to their fans. I remember waiting to hear a new song as soon as it was posted. So, how has social media changed the game? Now there are many ways for bands and fans to connect and news is instantaneous in my opinion

Technology is crazy. It's a double edged sword. As a musician I love it and I hate it. I love it because I can reach an audience pretty quickly with news and music. I hate it because it has diluted music so much. Look how many bands there are. It's hard for the listener to filter the good from the bad. There is over exposure too. You can't have one without the other I suppose.

As an artist, what inspires you (movies, music, comics, books, etc.)?  What got you into this?

The answer to this question has changed over the years. I used to be inspired by music and other forms of art. But now I mostly find my inspiration from life events. So many things have either happened to me or those around me. These events changed the way I view myself and others. I have a completely different perspective from when I started.  

As far as what got me into this? I don't know. My mom was very musical. She had a great voice. She always encouraged me to play. I started me at Piano when I was 6. I never looked back. I've always wanted to be a musician.

As a guitarist, what inspired you to pick up the instrument? I mean, no body is born with an instrument in their hands!

Believe it or not, I always wanted to be a drummer growing up. Like I mentioned before, I started off on piano. That turned out to be a blessing because it made learning all the other instruments that much easier. If I had it my way I would have been a drummer, but we were poor. My parents couldn't afford to get me drums and if they could I lived in a shitty apartment complex in North Bergen NJ. It just wouldn't have worked hahaha. I didn't pick up guitar until I was 15. That's pretty late in the game. But I loved hard rock and metal and playing the piano just wasn't gonna hack it for me. So I picked up guitar and probably never put it down the first couple of years that I had one. I was playing 24/7.

I mentioned this before, but as a legend, is there any advice to any bands starting out that you could give?

Do something else hahaha. Unless of course you love it and you have a passion for it. This is a hard job and no one will ever give you credit for working hard at it. It is thankless. The majority of you won't make it. I still haven't 'made it'. If you are serious about it, then you will have to make a lot of sacrifices. If you want to tour, then a majority of you won't be able to have stable relationships. I'm not saying it's impossible, but highly unlikely. If you're in it to win it, it becomes very difficult to find people that are dedicated and willing to make these same commitments. If you love it, then none of these things matter. No one ever told me how hard this would be or how many misconceptions there are about being a touring musician. But if they did, it wouldn't have changed anything.

Are there any new artists or bands in the Horror Rock/Punk genre that you think people should know? Someone who is exciting you with the music they make?

I don't listen to new music much anymore. Bill Burr has this bit, that once you reach a certain age you just like what you like and hate everything new. I feel like that guy sometimes hahaha. If you would have told me I'd be like this even 5 years ago I would have thought you were nuts. But here I am.

Are there any new releases that you are looking forward to (movies, music, etc.)?

I'm ready for Star Wars!

Thank you once again for taking the time to do this! Are there any parting words you have for the readers?
Goolsby will be releasing his album soon. You can keep tabs on him at this link: https://www.argylegoolsby.com/  

Michale Graves just released a solo acoustic album called Back Roads. He is currently on an acoustic tour to support the album. You can find the album and much more Michale Graves related info here: http://hydraulic-entertainment.com/

I will be touring with both bands later in the year! Hope to see you out on the road!