Interviews: Red Vinter

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Doom Metal/Death Metal/Sludge Metal band Red Vinter from the USA. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Was it planned, or did it just happen organically?

James: Mike came up with it. Red Winter, but pronounced with a Swedish accent, because some of the best metal in the world comes from Sweden.

Mike: I wrote a book called Runemaster: Shield Maiden’s Blade, and in that book, there’s a violent Viking battle in a blizzard – Blood In The Frost! From that, the band name Red Winter hit me, but it seemed a little too generic, so we metalized it by changing Winter to Vinter.

2. Why did you choose to play this genre?

James: We wanted to do our own thing. And we felt our local scene has plenty of tech death, metalcore, etc., but very few really stepping outside the “always play faster” rat race and trying to crush the audience with heaviness as opposed to speed.

Mike: The heaviness of some music has spoken to me deeply for as long as I can remember. I’ve been in some incredibly fast bands over the years (Ironchrist, Ghost Shadows, to name a few) and have always felt like the heaviness that really drew me to metal at a young age comes through best in the slow moments. So when James and I got together, we talked about it a bit. He turned me onto some of the killer doom bands out there like Monolord, Sleep, and Ahab, which led me down a rabbit hole to find Mammoth Storm, Coughdust, and some of the other great bands that worship heavy more than speed.

3. Did you know each other before forming the band?

James: We did not. We all met through Facebook and Craigslist postings.

Mike: It was kinda crazy. I’d only lived in Minnesota for a short time and had several people urge me to start a new band – one guy in particular kept saying “new blood”. I was playing guitar and singing in my last two bands, Ghost Shadows and 2x4, but decided it would be easier to find a guitar player than a bass player, so I switched to bass. Then I figured finding a drummer would take forever, so I ran a few ads looking for like-minded musicians, assuming I’d find guitar players easily, and a drummer would take time. As these things go, James and I connected a few hours after I posted the first listing. Then it took us nearly six months to find a guitar player!

4. What is each band member's favorite band?

Mike – Voivod

James – Lamb of God

J – Acid Bath

Dylan - Trivium

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

James: The human condition. We look at the internal and external battles that we all face and try to write songs that capture how these struggles mirror each other in many ways.

Mike: At the end of the day, it’s about telling a story. It often starts with an interesting riff that sort of speaks to something inside one of us. From there, we explore that feeling, give it a voice – both musically and lyrically – and see where it takes us.

6. Where was your last gig?

James: The First Annual Sinkfest, held at Eagles 34 in Minneapolis, MN. A doom/low & slow festival spotlighting local/regional heavy, heavy bands.

7. Where would you like to perform in the future?

Mike: We’re hoping to get on more festival bills with audiences who love really heavy music. Add those to a modest list of more intimate local shows, while leaving room for those cool opportunities that pop up out of nowhere.

8. Which artist or band would you like to collaborate with?

Mike: More than knowing we want to collaborate with this person or that band, it’s more organic: while writing a song, we may think “having (insert person) do (insert performance) at that point in the song would be killer!” Susan Mitchell from Wasteland Coven contributes backing vocals to our song Escape Velocity from our forthcoming album, Lumbering Menace – and she did an incredible job! Mike Bossier from Crushuman was slated to do a guest solo on this EP, but it didn’t work out due to scheduling conflicts.

9. Is there anyone you wouldn’t want to collaborate with?

James & Mike: Nazis, rascists, a’holes who try to inflict their BS way of life on others.

10. Have any of you ever experienced stage fright? Do you have any tips for beginners on overcoming it?

James: Absolutely, everyone experiences it even if they cannot admit it. The best way to overcome stage fright is to get on stage. Find a low or no-pressure event such as an open mic/open jam, and start playing in front of people. Even if you have done that, you will still be nervous for your first real gig with your first real band. Just remember that nervousness is really excitement, and channel the energy that way.

Mike: Someone once told me that stage fright comes from focusing on yourself and not the performance or the audience. You’re worried about how YOU will experience it, not how the audience will. So, trying to consciously focus on the performance and the audience pulls the fangs out of the nervous energy, then it can redirect it into fuel for the performance.

11. Which bands have influenced you the most?

James: Our style is drawn from fusing a few genres, combining Voivod with Sleep, Godflesh with Bolt Thrower, Bongripper with Obituary, etc.

Mike: Yeah, like James said, melting music together to form something new has been a goal from the start. Have to laugh at the Godflesh comment as Ed Farshtey pointed out to us, we sort of have some similarities with their early stuff, and we had to go listen to it. He wasn’t wrong. Haha!

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

Mike: A Red Vinter branded butt plug… they said they were joking, but not 100% sure on that. Ha!

13. What do you think of your fans?

James: We have a diverse fan base, and have fans from people in Minneapolis to bands in Hungary. They are great supporters of ours, and we truly cherish each one.

Mike: We write music that gives voice to things inside us, which makes it deeply personal. When someone else connects with it to the point they become a fan of the band, they’re now part of your musical family. Gotta love that. And we have some of the coolest musical family members out there! We’re very grateful for each and every one of them.

14. What do you think of our site?

James: My favorite thing about Breathing the Core is the diversity in both musical styles and geography in the bands you have featured. I love metal and heavy music in general, and there are so many bands I would have never heard of if not for browsing your site. The genre listings are fantastic and really let those who have a specific niche be heard.

Mike: I love the diversity James mentions and also dig the variety of content. It’s not just clickbait news blurbs or monotone blog posts. It’s like a Music Mall, where you can find reviews, interviews, band insights, links to music, etc.. If you love metal and can’t find a pile of stuff on Breathing The Core, you aren’t trying. 

15. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

James: A goal in starting this band was to just reach one person and impact their life. We wanted someone to hear our music and say, “man, these guys really get ME”. So take a listen and see, because I bet one of us has been where you are, and we hope our music can help you through that tough time.

Mike: Yes. I think most people become lifelong music fans because one song connects with them deeply. Helps give voice to something inside, or relates to a struggle, and ultimately makes ya feel like you aren’t alone – and throughout your life, more and more songs add to that personal catalog of favorite tunes. If we have one person tell us that a Red Vinter song was that for them, it’s all worth it. And we already have.