Interviews: Vendetta XIII

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Rock 'N' Roll band Vendetta XIII from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

The number 13 has always been an interesting one. I think all of the superstitions surrounding it have intrigued us, and it’s a number that has stuck with me for a long period of my life. The original name for this project was Chapter XIII. But after we made a small lineup change, and decided to go in a different direction, we decided that we needed something fresh and new. I think for all of us, the word revenge kind of became a central theme in our lives. Maybe not revenge in a completely cynical way, but vengeance towards any doubt we’ve ever had in ourselves, and vengeance toward anybody who may have doubted us in the past. A long-running series of vengeful acts is what creates a Vendetta. I think that word stuck out so much to us because it had been years and years of each of us trying to find vindication. It became about these personal Vendettas that we created within ourselves, to prove everybody wrong. When you look at the two words together, it basically means “Unlucky Vengeance” and I love the idea of making your own luck, taking vengeance on anybody who has doubted you, by creating your own success.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Rock and Metal music has played a huge role in all of our lives. They are the reason I think that all of us play music. I think that our desire to not be pigeonholed, or painted into a corner creatively, is the reason that we leaned more into the “hard rock” aspect. I think that gives us a little more leeway sonically, being able to jump into heavier stuff that might come from the metal genre, or more bluesy stuff that might come from straight rock. It was very important to us to be able to have that sort of flexibility when writing and be creative. It also sets a precedent to our fans, that you’re going to get a little bit of everything, and you can expect something new and fresh every time we decide to release new music.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

For the most part, none of us knew each other before the band was originally formed. The previous iteration of this band included present members, but we all met throughout the years playing in LA. I met our lead singer when I moved to Hollywood and we both worked and lived together for years. He was playing with a different band at the time, and the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it for him to join our new project. I met our other guitar player at a hair salon when I first moved to Southern CA. We instantly hit it off and asked him shortly afterwards if he wanted to start a band with me. Our bass player and drummer we found through connections that we made throughout the years, and when we were all in the same room together, it just happened to work so well. There was instant chemistry with all of us. That’s when I think we knew that we were on to something special.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

This is such an easy question, yet such a hard question at the same time. I’m not sure that any of us can really pinpoint our favorite band because I think all of us have been inspired and influenced by so many greats before us. We love a little bit of everything from the last 60 years or so of music, and each decade I think has had a profound effect on us as musicians. We all have a little bit of different tastes, but they all make up this big beautiful world of rock and metal music. Our drummer is a fan of black metal, speed metal, and prog metal. Our other guitar player is really into blues, psychedelic rock, and 70’s rock. Our bass player is a huge punk rock, horror metal, and 80’s rock fan. Our singer is into everything from death Metal, to thrash, to power metal. I’m a huge fan of 80’s metal, 70’s hard rock, and the rock revival bands that we see today. I think we would be doing ourselves a disservice to pinpoint one band over them all because they’ve all made such an impact on our lives. I think being able to take all of these influences and create music that we love, and that we are a fan of is what our goal is. We want to one day say that our favorite band is Vendetta XIII because we’ve created music that we love more than anything we’ve ever heard.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I think most of our writing comes from our own life experiences. To us, that’s how some of the truest, and purest music is made. It’s because of these experiences we as musicians are able to pour our emotions into these songs. Each of our songs starts with a single idea or a single theme, and our job is to turn these ideas into a cohesive concept. Villains and Vices, for instance, tells a story from front to back, and we wanted to bring that story to life through each song. We want our listeners to feel something. We want them to dig their feet into the ground, clench their fists, or feel goosebumps up their arms when they hear their favorite lick or lyric line. We want people’s hearts to start racing, and the wheels in their heads start to turn, as they hear this story being told. I think that’s what truly great music does, no matter the genre, it makes you feel something. It's these profound life experiences or out-of-the-box ideas that inspire us to keep going as artists and musicians.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, on the Sunset Strip. At the time of this writing, we have a headlining gig at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go, also on the Sunset Strip on September 10th. We wanted to have a showcase for up-and-coming hard rock and metal bands, so we’ve assembled some of the best bands that we know, to come out and put on a hell of a show. We wanted to showcase all of the talent that’s out there and give all of these bands a chance to show their fans, as well as everybody else’s, that there is a strong core of hard rock and metal bands who are still bringing it night in and night out.

7. Where would you like to act?

I think the next venture for us, is to try and find ourselves on some festival billings. There are so many fantastic rock and metal festivals across the globe, especially in Europe, where we know there is just a rabid fan base for both genres. To be able to tap into that energy and passion that those fans bring year in and year out would just mean the world to us. We feel that can compete with some of the best of the best when it comes to performing live, and our stage show would be perfect for the massive stages that those venues provide. From the U.K., and across Europe to the Scandinavian and Baltic Countries, we know that rock and metal mean everything to their fans, and it’s just something that we would love to be a part of in the coming years.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

I’m not sure there is anybody specific that we would like to feature with. We just want a chance to get on the biggest stages, with the best in the world. There is so much talent across this landscape that we would be honored to share the stage with. Any chance we would have to get up there and compete with them night in and night out would absolutely bring out the best in us, and I know it would push other bands to bring their absolute best as well. That’s how this industry continues to grow, gets better, and moves towards the future. It’s about pushing each other to be the best version of yourself, and never settling for a half-assed show. That’s just a disservice to the fans and the music, and that’s just not something that we are interested in doing.

9. Whom not?

I mean I don’t think there is anybody specific that we wouldn’t want to perform with. I think the hardest people to work with are those who are jaded or have massive egos they can’t support. We are a competitive band, and also a very supportive band. But we wouldn’t stand for any disrespect from someone who’s done this a lot longer than us, but can’t hold a candle to what we can do on stage. Putting other bands down, or talking shit about them because you are upset with how your career turned out, is in no way conducive to helping this industry thrive. We’ve dealt with those types of guys, and when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, we wipe the floor with them every single time. We have no time for ego if you can’t back it up, and we most definitely don’t fanboy over somebody who thinks they are better than us, just because they had a hit song 40 years ago. We want everybody to thrive, we want this industry to thrive, and anybody who has an issue with other bands who are giving it their all can get fucked. Those are the type of people who don’t belong in this industry, and those are the type of people that we want no part of. They can catch that smoke on stage otherwise, and I promise they don’t want that, their egos will never survive it.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

All of us at some point or another have suffered from stage fright, and I think a couple of us still do. Before every show, I still get all the butterflies and still get that sinking feeling in my stomach. But once I hit that stage, it turns into adrenaline, and all of that nervousness just goes away. I think the best advice I could give somebody, is to just get lost in the music. A perfect example of this is Angus Young, who has been a massive influence on me. That dude just bobs his head and jams away to every single note, of every single song. He gets lost that entire show but never misses a beat. That is something that has helped me so much, and why so much of what I do on stage is heavily influenced by him. I get lost in the music, lost in the lights, lost in the smoke, lost in it all, and everything around me just seems to go silent, it all starts to move in slow motion. This is when I know I’m on, and I have absolutely nothing to worry about. This is a place of Zen, where everything just flows like water. For anybody that has stage fright, find your place of Zen, get lost in the art that you are creating on stage, and you’ll find it’s the most beautiful feeling in this entire world. It’s the reason that we as artists get up there every single night. Once you are able to do that, I promise that you’ll never be worried about stage fright again.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

I think for all of us, bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Iron Maiden, The Scorpions, and Gun’s n Roses have made a huge impact on our lives. But a band like Taking Dawn, and their debut album “Time to Burn”, or Black Tide’s “A Light From Above” had a huge impact on writing this album. As did “City of Evil” and “Appetite for Destruction” by A7X and GNR respectively. All four of those albums are masterpieces in my opinion, and a lot of what we have written is very influenced by all of the songs on those albums.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We haven’t had very many weird requests so far, but we did have a fan ask us to write a happy birthday song for them, and film ourselves performing it for them live. Though we are always ones to oblige to fan requests, I just couldn’t bring myself to write a metal rendition of Happy Birthday. We instead decided to send them some merch and wished them a very happy birthday, to which they were very happy!

13. What do you think of your fans?

In the short time that we have been a band, watching our fan base grow has been one of the greatest feelings in the whole world. It vindicates all of our hard work, and seeing the joy that we can bring to one person on any given night, means everything to us. We hear the passion and emotion that they bring every time we hit the stage, and we hope to keep that same energy every time someone new discovers us. The fans are everything, and without them we as artists are nothing. They keep the desire burning inside of us, and they push us to be the best version of ourselves. As long as they are there, we will always keep coming back with something bigger and better than before. They are the lifeblood of the beating heart that keeps this band alive.

14. What do you think of our site?

You guys have a fantastic website, and your support for rock/metal bands is truly appreciated by us. Your interviews are absolutely solid, and I love all of your behind-the-scenes stuff. I find your behind the artworks section so intriguing, as is your behind the tracks. It’s great getting to read into what goes into an artist’s music, and everything that goes through their head artistically. I think you guys do a fantastic job highlighting new bands, while also showing love to those that have come before us. We are honored to be a part of it, and thankful to you guys for reaching out for this interview.

15. Something to add?

We hope to make anybody who listens to us, not only feel something but feel inspired. Feel inspired to get up and follow whatever dream it is they might have. Turn your life experiences into stories, and tell those stories to anybody who might listen to you. Make your emotions come to life, and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Never be afraid to be who you are, and fuck what anybody might think of you. This band was made by five dudes who were ready to give up on their dreams, and they ignited their own passions by finding others who shared the same. Vendetta XIII is all about settling those vendettas within yourself and proving to others that you’re not what they think you might become. This record was made with savage intent and killer instinct. Never let the bounds of who people think you are, shape the future you see for yourself. Rather if you’ve got to be the Villain, or you’re dealing with your own Vices, don’t let anybody get in the way of you, and your own tomorrow.