HIMSA INTERVIEW
April 2, 2004


Ed Martin for Prophecy21.com: How's the tour been going so far?
Johnny Pettibone Vocals for Himsa: Really good, we're in our third week nowand all the shows have been really good. We just went through Texas,Florida, like the whole South and we just started making our way Northeast,then its back towards home.

P21: How long have you guys been together?
JP: The bands been together about five and a half years. The mainstays ofthe band; me Kirby Johnson, and Derek Harn have been together about fouryears and then the new guys have been here about a year.

P21: Did you sing in any other bands before Himsa?
JP: Yeah I was in a band in the early 90's called Undertow. I did a bandcalled 99 Spitfire right after that. So, this is like my third serious bandI guess.

P21: Are you guys gonna be making any more videos soon?
JP: Yeah, after this tour we're home for a couple of months and I thinkwe're gonna be shooting one for A Girl In Glass.

P21: How did you guys decide on that song for the next video?
JP: Its different then what Panic is and a lot of the other songs withPanic are a lot more thrash oriented, where this one is more on the melody. So we chose it for that and we kind of already have a concept that, thatsong would be perfect for. Also the label wanted that song to be pushed. It's being played on that Music Choice TV channel and we get a lot ofrequests for it.

P21: What are your plans for after this tour?
JP: Writing the new record.

P21: What's up with the all the pictures on the website?
JP: Some of the members of the band, especially Derek who actually made thewebsite, were just very interested in death themes. The fact that someonecan take their own life, how serious death is, kind of the arrogance ofdeath. Like what could push these people to that point, especially to killyourself with a shotgun, that's the messiest way to go out, and we're justkinda fascinated with that sort of thing. Also Seattle is like one of thenumber one suicide capitals in the world and its just kind of a dreary placewhich probably helps the them of the band and what we kind of strive to gofor.

P21: Are all of the pictures of actual people?
JP: Yup, all real people.

P21: What's your favorite song on the new album?
JP: Probably Dominion, its kind of like growing up in the Hard Core sceneand like striving for it. Seattle's always been up in the corner and out ofthe way and for a lot of years a lot of bands didn't come up there to tourcause its just so far in the corner, Portland wasn't really going at all. So a lot of bands just didn't come up and it seemed like Seattle was kind oftaken for granted. They have an amazing scene there as far as fans tons ofkids are involved in bands and with fanzines, even doing whatever they canto put on shows up there. The chorus is, "We always go down fighting,"and that's kinda how I see Seattle, you see things kind of startin to dieoff, but Seattle just comes back harder as far as involvement andeverything. Right now Seattle has a real real young scene again and itsawesome because there's a lot of enthusiasm with the kids and clubs andpromoters and what not. Seattle is just not like any other place. Whenwe're home we can play with different genre/style bands like Pretty GirlsMake Graves and Blood Brothers and we'll get all the same crowd, but if wego anywhere else in the country we're fit to like a certain type of packageof like hardcore metal. Seattle with so few bands comin through everyonewould play together, hardcore bands would play with punk bands. Like allbands of ours would play with like Poison Idea, The Accused or like GreenDay. It was weird situations like that that made sense then, but its kindof lost its touch, but Seattle's always coming back.

P21: Is Dominion your favorite song to play live too?
JP: Yeah, we actually play it first most of the time and it just gets megoing, its kinda like the theme of the band. We've just been through somuch as a band as far as like line up changes and other things that wouldmake or break a band and we just keep pushing. We've been on tour a yearstraight now and we're still going for it, and we're still literallyunknown. Its rad to get on some really good packages with some friendsbands and being able to see kids that have never seen us. Its kind of likebeing the underdog band of the tour and having to go out and win kids over. I'd much rather have that because its so cool to come back a couple monthslater and see those same faces knowing the songs. So I think that Dominionsets the tone. Its like how I'm still a little kid inside even though I'm32, I'm 23 forever, that fires still inside me.

P21: What's your favorite part about being on tour?
JP: The kids, man. I'm still one of those, I'm still a fan of bands andwhat not. The hardcore scene gave so much to me this is like my way ofgiving back. I don't have the patience to sit down and do a fanzine or thepatience to book shows. It's so much work and I have anger managementproblems anyway. So playing in a band is a way to fuel the kids and have agood time and you get that feeling that the band and the audience are allone community and you're all hear to have a good time. It's also to getthat anger and energy out just like it was when I was fifteen, its myoutlet.

P21: How'd you come up with the name of the album?
JP: Its actually taken from the Anne Rice novel The Vampire Lestat. I'mfascinated with vampires, I have been since I was a kid, the movies, thebooks, and just the whole theme and romance of it. It was a line thatLestat had said about how even though his life seems so fulfilled he stillcarries that burden of tragedy and disaster and loss and I think that all ofus kind of carry that with us. With friends that have passed on or familymembers and its kind of always on our back. Like yeah we're having the timeof our lives, but this could all end tomorrow, you know what I mean. It'sabout just taking things day by day and step by step.

P21: How'd you come up with the name of the band?
JP: The band was named before I was in the band by one of the originalmembers, Aaron. Its Sanskrit for rage, wrath, and violence and it also goesalong with the theme of the band, being very aggressive and in your faceabout how we approach music and what not.

P21: What bands would you like to get a chance to tour with in the future?
JP: A Cro-Mags reunion, that'd be awesome their like one of my favoritebands of all time. Everyone says Slayer, cause Slayer would be awesome totour with because they set the tones for everyone whether it be hardcore ormetal. Misfits would be rad with Danzig, but that'll never happen. IronMaiden, maybe. The band is all so full of different personal influencesthat each person would probably say something different. Maybe even At TheGates. I really like Dimension Zero, a project band from some of the InFlames guys, they'd be awesome to tour with.

P21: Are you guys playing any of the festivals coming up like Hellfest?
JP: We don't know because right now we don't have anything planned as faras touring and we can't afford to drive straight out and there's so manybands touring that its like a big competition of battling shows. For us togo out on our own just to play a fest would probably kill us. And like Isaid we've been on tour for a year straight, so we really wanna take a breakand write some new songs and see what we can come up with especially withthe new guys. There've been a couple offers though, so we're thinking aboutit, you never know.

P21: Where's your favorite place to play?
JP: Down in Orange County is awesome cause its almost like the brotherscene of Seattle, everyone knows everybody just from touring through andfriends and what not and its always a good time. At home is awesome, ya know,its rad. We've been to Europe twice, places like Prague are amazing toplay. The U.K. is amazing to play.

P21: If you guys were going to do a cover what song would you want it tobe?
JP: It's funny because we're actually thinking about doing a little E.P.of each of us picking a cover song and doing it. I wanna do... shit! I have somany! It'd be rad to just like fuck up a Cure song, just like make it heavyand put some harmony and some solo into it. We were thinking of doing aWhitesnake cover, Still of the Night. A Journey cover would be cool. CheapTrick we've been talking about. We're looking for something where theaudience would be like huh?, but it would be fun just to like mess with.

P21: What do you usually do to kill time on the road?
JP: I have a portable DVD player and I watch CSI. I have seasons one andtwo and I'm a fanatic about that. Buffy, so I watch all that. We stop atBest Buy a lot and buy movies, then trade back and forth with one another. Derek does a lot of the driving so mostly just watch movies and go to themovies a lot. We're all in our late twenties early thirties, so the roadsrough. I like to sleep. I sell the merch, I play the show, then I go backto the merch table. I like talking to the kids and stuff.

P21: Thanks, is there anything that you want to add?
JP: Thanks for the interview and your time, and thanks to everyone thatchecks us out.