INTERVIEW WITH TEMPER

BY NEON BLONDE

JANUARY 11, 2003

  Kevin---Tell me about your time in Sacricide.

I was in one of my favorite hangouts at the time, a place off 635 called Stampedes.  I know.  It’s a country bar.  To me it was a great fishing hole. Well this one night this lady buys my underage ass a drink. Then another. Then another.  She kind of flirted with me throughout the night. Turned out she was the mother of two boys who had a band.   The band was looking for a singer. I went to meet Rick and Brian, the two guitarists, and got their material. Auditioned and took the job. Sound wise we were great. Our sound was really tight, real heavy. Main problem was we sounded like Metallica.  Too much like Metallica. We should have been a tribute band, except I look horrible as a blonde. We had a lot of fun though.  We played The Basement and DCL. The band had a big warehouse they practiced in out in Murphy. Their mommy had MONEY out the wazoo!!!

How and when did that end?

Sacricide broke up in 1993 (as far as I’m concerned).

Tell me a about Jersey.

My biggest influence in this business is Jon Bon Jovi. He is the man I respect more than anyone. One night I was having this party with a bunch of friends. We were listening to Bad Medicine when Rebecca, my hair stylist at the time decided to play with my hair and Charles’s hair. About an hour later we looked in the mirror after a little makeup at a Cloned Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Next thing you know were calling all our friends for the rest of the lineup.  Rebecca got some of her friends to do our hair and makeup. Got the clothes. I still have some of my torn up shirts and trench coats, And Jersey hit the stage. We did that for fun and had a lot of fun doing it. My favorite song to play in Jersey was “Never Say Goodbye”. I knew someone was going home with me every time we played that one. BON JOVI RULES!!! I don’t care what all you tough guys think.

Tell me about Whitegold.

Whitegold ended my four-year stint of not getting back on stage. Timmy (Drummer) and I got together and decided to put our own band together. The problem was that Tim got burned out, left the band, and I ended up keeping the band rolling.  I reincarnated Whitegold with three complete different lineups. In two years of playing four different guitar players, five bass players, and three drummers. The thing I learned most from Whitegold is how it is in the music scene today. It’s different from the way it used to be. You can’t be a disrespectful punk in this business. You have to have patience. Whitegold showed me a lot of the ins and outs since I did all the managing and promoting.

After Whitegold broke up you started promoting and managing some local bands.  Tell me about that.

Actually it was after Jersey broke up. I was in with a crowd that wasn’t very supportive. Unfortunately I let the idiots get to me. At the time I was going through a bad case depression so I never got into another band. I had some friends who were in Crimpsun Widow and Grynder. Both bands needed help so I did a lot of their managing. I did their booking, helped out with promoting, auditioned groupies. You get the point…

Tell me about meeting Kris and Doug and your ultimate acceptance into Temper.

I met Kris through Al Mead of Terabyte. After Whitegold broke up, I was reforming the band when Al told me about this band looking for a singer. He said they sound really good and I should at least check them out. I gave him my number to give Kris and low and behold he actually called. (That was sarcasm to all the flakes in the biz!!!). Then I met Doug and Thumper and here we are now.

Are you single?

As a puppy with three peckers…

  Doug---What were your first thoughts when you got the call from Kevin Barrett?

I thought cool another band to jam with. Because the one I was with wasn’t going anywhere.

Did it sound like something you wanted to do?

Yes…. most definitely. I was interested because KEVIN BARRETT A.K.A [THUMPER] and I had played together before and we had a pretty good groove going on.

What was your first impression of what you saw and heard when you joined?

                   What I saw was a bunch of hair and a lot of equipment. What I heard was the talent I wanted to be a part of.

What did you think of Kevin White when you met him?

I thought man this cat has got it together. The look the connections the drive, determination and the will to succeed.

Any plans for a CD in the near future?

Yes there are plans for a cd in mid to late February. So if everyone can just wait a little bit longer they will have their long awaited TEMPER debut.

Is it what you thought it would be?  Being a musician I mean.  You had stated that as a child you wanted to be a rock star.

It is and a whole helluva lot more.

Are you single?

YES.

Kris---I have had lots of musicians tell me that they are self-taught.  When you took this endeavor upon yourself did you ever say, “What the hell am I doing?”

As a young kid, I always had a lot of spunk, too much attitude, perseverance, and dedication to the madness and always saw things through with that stubborn head and vision of my own to ever think of asking myself that question.  If you’re going to even stand a chance of being noticed in this business you have to be original, be yourself, be all by yourself, learn to speak your heart and not what others want you to.  Life’s too short to live a lie.  Blood, sweat, and tears is all I know.

  In your opinion is it hard to find dedicated musicians?  If so, why?

 It’s not easy to find dedicated musicians who can fill the part and do it well.  There are so many aspects that go into it and I will just expand on the one that I feel are the most important.  Number one is learning to challenge yourself and work on your weaknesses and play off your strengths.  Number two, you need to be able to gel with the other musicians, be open to all kinds of ideas and write great songs off of one another.  Number three is performing live with high energy and a lot of feel every time you play no matter what kind of mood you’re in prior to getting on stage.  Number four is having strong self-discipline in the studio and the rehearsal.  Number five is you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to grow the bands interest.  In a sense, you have to sell your soul for the music. People with that kind of passion don’t have a problem dropping their things or loved ones to go and do what they love to do the most.  Remember, your dreams provide you with a direction to go in and your heart gives you the transportation you need to get there. 

What do you expect of yourself?

Since I was raised with a lot of moral and self-discipline by the old folks, I’ve always found that I seem to be harder on my self at times when I really shouldn’t be, but it’s a part of me striving for perfection.  It never hurts to try but I know not to shoot myself in the toe for it either. But I definitely expect nothing but the best from myself.

How would you describe the music that you play?

Heavy, melodic, passionate, angry, sad, mad, and every now and then the sun comes out to shine

Why does this line up work better than the one before?

The line-ups I’ve worked with in the past played more for shits & giggles. They really weren’t all that concerned with the business aspect of the band.  And unfortunately knowing the business side of music is what will separate the men from the boys.  People sometimes forget you have to treat this like 50% music and 50% business.  Each member of TEMPER has a specific job function besides just writing music.  For example, our drummer Kevin Barrett designed the bands website and FLASH animation and is responsible for updating the website www.temperonline.com.  Our newest addition to the band, which is vocalist Kevin White, handles the booking and the majority of the promotion. Bass player Doug Vines shares the job duty of promotion, plus wrangles in the TEMPER crowd for the upcoming shows and handles a lot of the road duties.  And last but least, myself.  I design all the colorful TEMPER artwork you see associated with the band such as CDs, flyers, T-shirts, bumper stickers, lighters, etc.  Obviously you can see that each of the band members plays a vital role in developing and shaping the growth of the band.

  Does everyone participate in the song writing?

I don’t want to give any of the bands creative secrets away to how we song write, but I can tell you that we all have a say in the way these songs come together and the way they are shaped.

Are you single?

Yes!  I’m single and I’m always looking for the right girl. I know she’s out there and hopefully I will see her soon because I would like to ask her “Where the hell have you been all this time!!!  I’m getting sick and tired of wrestling that little bald guy by myself!!!

Kevin B.---What was the scene like when you came to Dallas?

Did you ever get discouraged?

Yes, when I was in a couple of bands that did not work out and the woman I was with did not back me at all.

How did Doug feel about singing?

He thought it was cool and he wanted to sing and step up to the plate

What did Kevin White have that the other vocalist didn’t?

He had more of a different range and style that other singer did not have. He was cool to hang out with and he wasn't stuck up like other singers are.

Did you know immediately that he was it?

No, not really but we worked well with him.

What’s next for Temper?

A new CD goes on the road and hopefully gets signed.

Are you single?

Yes, I do not have a woman. I am on the look out for that perfect someone that believes in me and know how to keep it real.

ALL MEMBERS:

What’s the hardest part of being a musician?

DOUG- THE LONG HOURS OF PRACTICE AND THE MESHING OF PERSONALITIES.  Kris response: The toughest challenge I have as a musician is learning to have patience and self-discipline when taking on new challenges.  We all want what we want, when we want it. But the reality of that is; if you want something, you have to work for it. That’s why my motto is “10% is life and 90% is what you make of it.”   Kevin White - The many hearts you have to break. Sooner or later every musician has to do it. For me it just gets harder and harder. (Ironically, it’s the harder and harder that usually leads to a broken heart). It’s just a never-ending loop.   THUMPER… The Hearts you have to break

  How has Temper been received?

DOUG-  I FEEL TEMPER HAS BEEN RECEIVED VERY WELL.  Kris response: Sometimes as a band member, it’s really hard to tell what kind of hype your band is generating around you, but from what I’ve seen and heard, I know that we continue to bring more and more people out for the shows and we have recently began attracting some of the other BIG Local bands attention for possible open acts.  Kevin White - So far everyone who’s followed me says it looks like I’ve finally found my place.   THUMPER…. Very good for the most part.

  In your opinions what do you think of the metal scene in the Metroplex?

DOUG-  I THINK ITS STILL EIGHTIES DRIVEN . THAT’S NOT TO SAY THE EIGHTIES WERE A BAD THING I JUST THINK THAT SOUND IS NOT FOR ME.   Kris response: As a “Guitar Guru,” I get a little frustrated because people aren’t doing guitar solos as much anymore if at all.  They think it’s a SIN against the “Society of FAD” to play them.  I grew up studying cats like Randy Rhoads, Alex Skolnick, Joe Satriani, Al Di Meolio, Cris Olivia and the list goes on and on.  These guys were my heroes and I looked up to them for inspiration because they were so skilled at what they did.  It gets harder and harder to find that now a day in the local scene.  There have been very few guitar players that have really just inspired me but I‘ve found one that goes all out. That would be a guy by the name of Jay Shannon from local band GROUND.  Awesome guitar player and songwriter!!!  I love to watch this guy play.  He sings with his guitar every time he plays a note and puts on a hell of a stage show.  And as for the rest of the band, I would like to say there tighter than stink on shit if I could put it into a colorful analogy.  I highly recommend you see the band if you haven’t already.  Kevin White - Very competitive!!! Very diverse!!! I love the Dallas scene. I’m into all kinds of music. Even The Go Go’s. That’s why I love Dallas. Unlike a lot of other towns, Dallas has a very diverse scene and audience. Of course that means you have to spank your ass harder if you want to succeed though, but that’s ok I like it rough.   THUMPER…. I believe that Dallas scene is fixing to blow up.

  Are you on mp3?

DOUG- NOT YET BUT VERY SOON.  Kris: Not yet, but hopefully we will be there soon.  I know it’s a great way to reach a wide range of people in such a short amount of time and gives you the opportunity to surf and share almost an endless library of music.  Kevin White… not yet. Got the hook just waiting for the bait.  THUMPER…. No not right now.

  How can the fans hear or get your music?

DOUG- RIGHT NOW COMING TO THE SHOWS IS THE BEST WAY BUT WE WILL HAVE CD’S VERY SOON.   Kris: I just have 2 things to say.  First, know our website address, www.temperonline.com, so that you can keep up with when and where we will be playing.  Live is truly the best way to see the band but not only that it’s a great way to get to know the guys and get some free TEMPER paraphernalia such as T-shirts, stickers, lighters and free demos.  Secondly, the TEMPER fans will be happy to know that that the long awaited for TEMPER CDs should be ready no later than mid February. These CDs will have the FULL MONTY, as I would like to put it.  All the songs with a few new surprises added for your listening pleasure.   Kevin White… We should have our mp3’s up on the website soon. www.temperonline.com. And we’ll be on mp3.com soon.  THUMPER…. the shows right now. We are working on a cd.

  I was really glad when Doug asked me to do this.  I look forward to more Temper in 2003.  The floor is yours guys!  Thank you!

KEEP ROCKIN'!

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