DROGHEDA
INTERVIEW WITH BUDDY MITCHELL VOCALIST, GUITARIST FOR DROGHEDA AND OWNER OF EXTREME MILLENIUM ENTERTAINMENT.........BY PATRICK SCHROEDER FOR NO BULLSHIT WEB-ZINE.
1..BUDDY HAILS BROTHER!! HOWS LIFE BEEN TREATING YOU ? PLEASE TELL THE READERS ABOUT YOURSELF.
working my ass off, per usual. 2 jobs plus the band/label. you pretty much summed up who i am and what i do in the opener...lmao. im 34 years old, married, been a musician for 21 years, been in bands for 15, ran a label for 10. sports nut, poker player, huge ac/dc(bon scott) fan.
2...WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER METAL? WAS IT LONG BEFPRE YUP DISCOVERED THE UNDERGROUND?
i remember taking KISS 'alive 2' into show and tell in 2nd grade. so id say late 70's. i have 3 older sisters, so i got exposed to some good music early. i remember seeing some elton john, neil young, ect albums laying around,but i found kiss out of their collections, and the rest is history. i discovered the underground in the mid to late 80's. i got a hold of a comp tape (new ren. recs i believe) it had some underground bands on it. whermacht, necrophagia,. bloodfeast, ect..that was my first intro in the underworld of metal...plus my friend bought a record by a band called napalm death around that time, so that got me into grind.
3.PLEASE GIVE A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BAND.WHAT RELEASES DO YOU HAVE AVAILBLE? ANY UPCOMING RELEASES TO WATCH OUT FOR?
when you have been around for 12 years, there is no such thing as a brief history...lmao! we have been around since late '92, so theres alot to tell.:
Drogheda was created in 1992 by guitarist Buddy Mitchell. Striving for originality and extremity, a self-titled demo cassette was released that year which quickly caught the attention of Wild Rags Records, who would release the re-recorded tracks plus the Unearthly EP on one CD in 1994. That same year, Dan Haynes joined the Drogheda team on guitar, and the band hit the road. With only one hometown show under their belts, the band embarked on a mini-tour with Internal Bleeding and Symphony of Grief which led up to the 1994 Milwaukee Metalfest, where they performed alongside Slayer and Motorhead, among other greats. After the fest appearance came the first major personnel shakeup, leaving only Buddy on guitar, and Dan on bass. They were joined by John Roddy on drums, thus forming the core of the band for the rest of the decade. In 1995, the band released the Kill Extremist full length on their own Extremist Records label. After dismissing that release’s vocalist, Drogheda reworked and re-recorded the songs for the Pogromist full-length. Self-released on Extremist Records, this release debuted what many consider the classic Drogheda lineup consisting of John on drums, Buddy on guitar and vocals, and Dan on bass and vocals. Once again, Wild Rags Records took notice and released Pogromist on CD and the band took the music to the masses with a series of devastating live appearances across the Midwest and East coast with the likes of Brutal Truth, Cannibal Corpse, and many others.The year 1996 saw 2 releases, a 7" split with Morticite entitled Unabomber and the Pogromist full length CD. Tons of memorable shows followed, including gigs with Dying Fetus, Fleshgrind, Internal Bleeding, Oppressor and a host of other underground heavyweights. The next two years saw numerous compilation appearances and in 1998, A Celebration of Violence was released on Wild Rags Records to mark the bands five year existence. This ‘best of’’ release was a landmark achievement for the band. Also in ’98, a split 7” with Fate of Icarus was unleashed. Internal turmoil started to creep into the band in 1999 and resulted in vocalist/bassist Dan Haynes out of the band. Ever forging on, Drogheda then released the Agents of Primordial Creation and Ultimate Destruction cd. Twenty six songs of pure madness! This cd was the pinnacle in underground grindcore, and was a sign that in an era when people were slowing down and going for groove, Drogheda were focused on smashing people, period.As the new millennium came, cooler heads prevailed, Dan was back in, and Drogheda went on a tear, releasing two split cds in 2000. One with Ohio crusty grinders Morticite, the other a reissue split of ‘Agents…’ with Italy’s Dysmorfic. These releases cemented Drogheda as an underground legend and the name became synonymous with U.S. grindcore. The year 2001 saw two more split cds, this time a re-recorded version of ‘Celebrating…’ split with Brutal Insanity and a monumental (and banned in Austrailia) split with Intense Hammer Rage. As fate would have it, though, bad luck struck in many different forms in the way of injuries, illness and a host of other hardships and saw the band basically inactive for 2002. As 2003 dawned and Drogheda entered its second decade, the band prepared for a 10th anniversary release and a return to the stage at the Maryland Deathfest with Suffocation headlining. Just eight weeks before the showJohn chose to leave Drogheda and retire from music. Buddy and Dan then enlisted longtime friend of the band Kevin Kraft, the legendary drummer of Ton, Warface, and Riphead. In truly professional fashion, Kevin turned in a flawless performance and enabled Drogheda to make a devastating return to the live scene after year and a half hiatus. The undeniable chemistry and unmatched intensity prompted Kevin to join the band on a permanent basis. Now Drogheda has recorded and released 13 new tracks on a split CD with Riphead, and are playing numerous shows around the northeast. After 12 years, Drogheda continues to steamroll on without any end in sight. The band continues a tradition of extreme underground grindcore with a nod to Repulsion, Assuck, Terrorizer and early Napalm Death, bucking the latest trends, blasting onward, and cementing their name as legend along side the heavyweights of the genre. whew...lol...the only available release is the new drogheda/riphead split cd.
4....WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BANDS?? WHAT ABOUT SOME OF YOUR "CURRENT" FAVORITES?
alltime faves: bon scott era ac/dc, napalm death, nuclear death, elton john, celtic frost, d.r.i., judas priest,black sabbath,early van halen..im sure there are tons more im forgetting...current: municipal waste, decrypt, codc, mortal decay, the list goes on.....
5...I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE SCENE FOR A LONG TIME..SO I WAS INTERESTED HOW DO YOU FEEL THE SCENE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? WHAT IS IT THAT HAS KEEPT YOU MOTIVATED TO KEEP GOING WITH ALL YOUR UNDERGROUND ACTIVITIES?
the internet, obviously, has changed the playing field in a big way. its sooooo much easier getting things done. one thing i have noticed is that the 'demo' has gone by the boards. everyone can just put out a pro looking/sounding release right off the bat. you dont need a demo out ...just press a cd. and with the internet, everyone becomes a rockstar overnight, pretty much. the reason i keep going is because this is fun. i love music...whether playing it, recording it, selling it, talking about it..whatever. its gets tiring sometimes, but after you come home from a shitty day at work, you always can kick back and put on your favorite tunes, and forget about everything for a while.or talk to people on the net about it. its always there, no matter what.
6..CORIX {EDITOR OF NO BULLSHIT WEB-ZINE} HAD A QUESTION POSTED UP ON HIS SITE AND I WOULD LIKE YOUR VIEWS ON THRE SUBJECT...WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST POWERFUL THING/BEING IN THE WORLD TODAY..GOD,SATAN OR MONEY?? AND WHY?
money is....everything you see, is rooted in money. that line 'money is the root of all evil' is no bullshit.
7...YOUR NEWEST RELEASE IS A SPLIT CD WITH THE MIGHTY RIPHEAD..HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN SO FAR? HAS THE BAND WRITTEN ANY NEW SONGS SINCE THIS RELEASE?
response has been great. for drogheda, its been a couple of years since we released any new material, so it felt good. the band is more popular now than it has ever been. we have about 5 new tunes as we speak, and alot more to come. we are doing some live tracks for a split cd. all details not in as of yet, so keep checking the site for updates.
8...FROM WHAT I CAN TELL YOUR LYRICS ARE POLITICALLY BASED AND ALSO WAR RELEATED..SO I WAS WONDERING HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GORE-GRIND? ANY GORE-GRIND BANDS YOU ENJOY?
i like some goregrind. of course, i like the masters, carcass.i like a few of the bands from razorback records. i find a few that i like...Haemorrhage is bitchin.. :)
9...BESIDES THE BAND YOU ALSO RUN/OWN THE LABEL EXTREME MILLENIUM ENTERTAINMENT..HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RUNNING THE LABEL?
i have been running this label for 2 years. i was a part of extremist records for 7 years. its alot of work.
10....DO YOU HAVE ANY RELEASES TO TELL US ABOUT ? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU LOOK FOR WHEN SIGNING A BAND??
the only release is the drogheda/riphead split cd, so far. if i like it, and everything aligns right(money, the band having material ready to go, ect) then i will sign it. pretty simple...
11...IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND? AND WHAT DOES THE TERM "UNDERGROUND METAL" MEAN TO YOU?
the best: meeting and interacting with fellow metalheads bands and fans alike. discovering cool new music. the worst: wannabe rockstars. band managers/club owners with inflated egos. people who tell you one thing to your face, and do another because they dont have the balls to be straight up.
12...WELL MAN I AM OUT OF QUESTIONS..THANKS FOR DOING THE INTERVIEW DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS? thanks to you and corix, man. really appreciate it. everyone get in touch...cheap cds and keep checking the site for show info..plenty going on. rock out with your cock out......
DROGHEDA///EXTREME MILLENIUM ENTERTAINMENT
C/O BUDDY
433 GATES ST.
DOYLESTOWN,OH 44230 USA..........
http://www.extrememilleniumentertainment.com
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