Interviews: Leather Synn

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Heavy Metal band, Leather Synn, from Portugal. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

Hi first of all thank you for the interview and the opportunity to promote our work. The name… On the first attempt to create a band our former singer Xico Steel called it Leather, later on since he wanted something more distinct, he asked me if I agreed to call this band Leather Synn, which I said yes right away, coz I really liked the name. I guess he got inspired by Leather Nunn and other US metal bands that has their name not correctly written.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

That’s exactly what I love to play, and almost all of the members in Leather Synn (past members and actual ones) are traditional Heavy Metal listeners. As a bass player I like to play Rush, Thin Lizzy, Maiden…

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

From the first line up I knew Xico Steel way before he invited me to form a band, from the actual line up Cano is my very close friend and works with me for a long time, so we are close friends and were already close when he got the job as a singer. All the others I meet though auditions for the band.

4. Each band member favourite band?

Me – Iron Maiden

Cano – Guns ‘n’ Roses

Rafael – Early Metallica

Sergio – All things power metal (Angra, Dream Theater…)

Tiago – Metallica\ Slayer

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Everything really! It comes naturally… I am more of a lyricist and it can be an erotic film (like synn is ynn) or a History Channel documentary (like in Honour and freedom) Music.. riffs use to come to my mind after long runs (a free afternoon…) listening to lots of records at home..

6. Where was your last gig?

It was here in Lisbon at RCA club.

7. Where would you like to act?

Humm… I would like to play in festivals like Keep it True in Germany or other places where the crowd is really into traditional Heavy Metal and Hard Rock

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Any good Metal bands, people we can hang out and have fun. We have played with some very cool people, and more than being a big name in the business or a small band like us, we are on this busines to have fun we like people like us. Of course we’d love to be invited to open a bid show for Maiden or Judas Priest but it’s not even in our wildest dreams!

9. Whom not?

Assholes! Bands who are hard to deal with, people who don’t like to hang out, have fun or share the stage, people who think they are the rock stars!!! Once a band here in Portugal had some back line problems and I offered my bass rig for their bass player, he used my all my gear to play no problem! The next gig we did together it was a festival our both bands were in the middle of the bill, none of us were headliners, and our drummer got problems (he had to drive 400Km) and was a bit late for the show. we asked if they could play before us so our drummer could reach on time. They said “NO!!! We will not play before you!!!” Fortunately, our drummer made it on time and arrived 2 minutes before we hit the stage!!! But that’s the kind of “friends” I don’t like to share the stage!

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Well… I never had it! I am a teacher, I did radio for more than 10 years and I was an active politician for more than a decade, I already gave lessons and conferences to crowds of students and I already made speeches for huge crowds, apart from that I am the kind of guy when the building catches fire just walk out as if there was nothing happening, Cano our singer is also a seasoned musician (he has knowledge to be a maestro) an I guess all the other are also very cool… my tip is to act cool and think like “I am not playing for my life, I am playing to have fun and give this audience some fun too!”

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Iron Maiden, WASP, Helloween, Saxon, Rush, Running wild, Warlock even Golden Earring! … I like Hard Rock, Pomp Rock, NWOBHM, Glam Metal and German metal a lot and my influences come from all these types of bands…

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

We don’t have a huge fan base and surely we don’t have crowds of fans blocking our entrance in hotels! But I remember one a guy asked me to sign a Freedom Call CD! I told him that I had nothing to do with Freedom Call but he told me ”Yeah but you already opened shows for them!” (I had open only one show!)

13. What do you think of your fans?

I don’t think I have fans, I don’t feel I am such a big influencer, sure I have supporters, people who may love bands like Scorpions, Maiden, Megadeth… and like the music we do to the point of attending our shows or buying our records , but they are not fans, maybe they bought the T-shirt but they don’t have our picture on their living room wall or a sticker of our logo on their bumper! But I respect our supporters a lot, maximum respect for them always! And the best I can do for them is to try to do the best show I can, do records that worth the money and be nice to anyone who approaches the band.

14. What do you think of our site?

I have visited it a couple of times before this interview and I think you are doing a good job. I felt you do it with passion and when you do your things with passion it transpires to the people who see it. I guess your site has it! It has passion and hard work, and that’s remarkable!

15. Something add?

Once again thanks a lot for this opportunity to promote our work. And thanks a lot to the people who took the time to read it all! Check out our releases at our site (www.leathersynn.com) and stay tuned to our band, we have plans to release a full album soon and to start broadcasting studio performances soon! All the best for you and for all your readdress!