Grindcore supergroup Lock Up, made up of Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth, Venemous Concept), Nick Barker (ex-Cradle Of Filth), Anton Reisenegger (Pentagram) and Shane Embury (Napalm Death, Brujeria) will be hitting Australia this week as part of the Campaign For Musical Destruction tour with Napalm Death and Brujeria in what will be one of the heaviest tours this year. We caught up with vocalist Kevin Sharp recently in the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Atlanta where he resides to discuss the tour and more.
Steve: You guys are fairly excited to head to Australia?
Kevin: It’s the first time for the band I think but I’ve been down a bunch of times.
Steve: And it’s a fairly hefty bill as well with Shane Embury and the rest of the guys in napalm Death.
Kevin: Actually I think Anton (Reisenegger, guitar) is the only one that hasn’t been there, I know Shane has been there a bunch with Napalm and Nick Barker was just down there with Nuclear Assault and I’ve been there multiple times in various bands like Primate and Brutal Truth and Damaged and stuff like that.
Steve: Awesome! So what do you think has kept the band going for so long?
Kevin: I don’t know man, I mean Brutal Truth has done tours with Locked up before and we’ve all known each other for a very long time. There’s obviously the musical thing but we grew up together so we all have our lives, we all have our own this, that and the other band. I’ve got Venemous Concept and Primnate and a bunch of other shit going on and there’s Napalm and the other band Barker is playing on, Pentagram. We’ve all got lives outside of it but it’s nice to get together and play some music. These are lifers, friends who have known each other forever so it’s nice to get together and get caught up. I don’t have normal friends because basically I’ve lived a life on the road doing this, that and the other that the majority of my close friends that are in bands or travellers so it gives us the opportunity to hang out and get caught up on each other. It involves a lot of things but musically it’s just obviously a blast, at our age it’s kind of an honour to still be able to travel and play music. Never really grew up!
Steve: Total Peter Pan!
Kevin: Yeah exactly! Fucking sprinkle the pixie dust!
Steve: [laughs] As a vocalist what keeps you inspired in general? There’s a lot of bands out there and you guys just go out there and keep kicking arse.
Kevin: As far as inspiring things I don’t know. I think at this point the initial footprint of what I got involved with music in is still relevant, you sort of know what your voice does and you just write towards the music. It sounds different to me, it sounds different to Venemous Concept and I try and write some typical lyrics to what’s going on in the song. So in terms of inspiration I don’t really know, I’m inspired by the dudes I’m playing with, they write the riffs that matter.
Steve: And you just do your thing and throw it down.
Kevin: Yeah I mean I do what I do. Personally I didn’t really want it to sound like Venemous Concept, didn’t want to sound like Brutal Truth. Try to be something tonally in line with what’s going on musically and hopefully hit the mark somewhere along the line.
Steve: So the last album “Demonization” was an absolute treat for any grindcore fan, will there be any kind of follow up to that at any stage?
Kevin: Well Anton started instigating the writing process already actually. Ironically those guys are all in Brujeria too so when we get back to the States, I’m going to be tour managing their US tour so we’ll all be in the same box for like a month so I’m certain that there will be something that happens.
Steve: And for you it’s an ongoing process obviously so when you are out on the road, do you take pen and paper with you and jot down ideas?
Kevin: Shane and I are like that on the road. Sometimes people can’t do that, sometimes it’s overwhelming and its just a big hornets nest out there and it becomes too complicated to write anything good. Shane is a freak of nature who is prolific with it, you can’t imagine. On his worst day he can write a better song than most people, I’m certain me and Shane will write a VC record on that tour [laughs].
Steve: I interviewed Shane about 2 weeks ago or so and like you said, he’s just prolific in everything that he does and takes everything to the extreme!
Kevin: He often does, when he quit drinking a few years back, he became more productive and more prolific. Same with me, I quit drinking last year some time and I just get more shit done.
Steve: So it’s the slow down juice!
Kevin: Well I don’t know what it is man, I know that you get towards the end of that hour glass and you got some shit to do. I got a few more records I got to put together and I’m not done yet, I’m not dead. Until it sucks and I have a friend tell me that you need to put down the microphone, I’ll continue doing records. You don’t want to be that old guy that sucks, ‘Oh your vocals were much better 10 years ago’. There’s that pressure to already get to be more on point with your game.
Steve: Sure so for any aspiring vocalists out there, do you have any tricks that you use to keep your voice going and at it’s peak or do you just get out there and destroy?
Kevin: A good thing to do is relax and work on your breathing, know your voice and get control of it. I mean at the end of the day you’re either geared towards this stuff or you’re not. If you’re not, your voice blows out all the time and you should probably be doing something else for a living. Early on everyone has this weird rituals they do to get ready and do their thing and stuff like that, my whole thing is just do a little prep work on the front end, I can tell exactly what I want to do and I just make it so. I don’t try and sound like anyone and therefore it is what it is.
Steve: Have you ever had a blow out as such in your career?
Kevin: I never have, I’ve seen it happen on tour before with certain vocalists. Like Burton from Fear Factory, his voice is like an eggshell and that thing can fall apart quickly. I don’t seem to have problems but get a vocal coach if you’re doing something wrong.
Steve: For you whqat is the best and worst part about touring besides obviously being away from family and friends?
Kevin: That in itself, the best part is being with my friends and family abroad. Because I’ve been on the road for so long, I know people in places everywhere and everyone has their lives and their families and kids and stuff and it’s really nice to get caught up in that world but it’s also your family. I got a wife and child that mean the world to me, it’s tough being away from them but it is who you are. I don’t really understand why I chose this path, I tried to live a straight life a couple of times and failed miserably at it.
Steve: [laughs] Sure, it’s your calling.
Kevin: Some people are born to be gorillas!
Steve: [laughs] Good call, I like that! So what albums have you been listening too lately?
Kevin: It sounds stupid but I listen to a lot of old country and blues and things like that. Obviously I follow records like nails etc but when I’m just chilling I like a lot of Waylon Jennings and shit like that which dials it back. I fI find an immediate need for hardcore grind records, I’ll just do a Venemous Concept record or I’ll do a Lockup record. I’m fortunate in the sense that my friends are all very good musicians and I have the opportunity to do that. Of course there are bands that I lean towards that do stuff for you and nothing is more entertaining than sitting and watching Brujeria. Juan (Brujo, vocals) is hilarious man!
Steve: I can’t wait to check it out!
Kevin: It’s gonna be a good show man! We did this 3 ring circus in Europe and it’s insane to watch Shane do it, young kids out there couldn’t do 3 shows in a night. It’s something incredibly freakish and that’s if he was to do 2 sets, Brujeria and Lockup!
Steve: Well it’s been great speaking with you today! I really appreciate your time, thank you so much and look forward to catching you soon.
Kevin: Right on man!
NAPALM DEATH, BRUJERIA, LOCKUP & BLACK RHENO performing at:
Oct 4th – Auckland, Kings Arms*
Oct 6th – Hobart, The Goods Shed*
Oct 7th – Adelaide, Fowler’s Live (The New Dead Metalfest)
Oct 8th – Perth, Capitol
Oct 10th – Melbourne, Max Watt’s
Oct 11th – Sydney, The Factory
Oct 12th – Brisbane, Max Watt’s
*BLACK RHENO not performing
TICKETS ON SALE FROM Tuesday June 27th at Soundworks Touring.
