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Scorched-Earth Policy is a band from the San Francisco Bay Area that has
always adhered to one simple mantra: leave no stone unturned in the
quest to create quality hard music. No barriers, just let the creativity
flow. With these sort of non-rules in place, the band set out to unleash
their unique vision of metal on the world in 1997 & continue to carry
the flag.
Scorched-Earth Policy:
Richard Perot - vocals, percussion
Mark Lamb - guitar, backing vocals
Lance Lea - drums
Carlos Santiago - guitar
Terry Goss - bass
All questions answered by Mark Lamb
How long
has Scorched-Earth Policy been in existence?
Lance, Carlos and I have been together as the core of S.E.P. since
'97. Our first year was pretty much an experiment with me sharing
vocals with Jimmy Walker (now with Manmade God). Basically just trying
to sift through the pile of material we had and trying to write good
songs and figuring out how to present them best. We recorded and then
released the Insurrection EP in the beginning of 98. Decided that
we needed a real singer, so then we got our old friend John Miller
in the mix and wrote/recorded "Tones of Ambivalence" and "Bootcamp"
respectively and put them out, later re-released as one CD through
Rage of Achilles. Things didn't work with Miller so we got Richard
Perot and bassist Terry Goss and wrote/recorded "Salvage Nothing".
In your own words describe the band's sound & influences?
We're a metal band that strives to write good songs with the intention
of presenting them on timeless recordings and an intense live show-
nothing more, nothing less. We live and die by the song. At the end
of the day, all the killer riffs and beats that you come up with don't
mean shit if you have a song that doesn't flow. I personally believe
that this applies to every style of music that you can think of. As
far as influences go, we're basically 5 music nerds who like a lot
of different stuff. Right now I'm listening to Mastodon, before that
it was early 70's Charlie Daniel's band, before that it was the Oscar
Peterson Trio with Ray Brown on bass, Sabbath with Dio, De La Soul,
Elvis Presley and Lamb of God. That's just one member's perspective.
With everyone else, Kiss, King Crimson, Maiden, Jane's Addiction,
Miles Davis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mercyful Fate, you name it. Anything
that's real.
Name some bands in which you've shared the stage & opened?
We've had the pleasure of playing with some great bands over the years
- Prong, Strapping Young Lad, Mercyful Fate, Skinlab, 40 Grit, Manmade
God, Eyes of Fire, Vile, Malevolent Creation, Mudslinger, Old Grandad,
Technocracy, Systematic, Unjust, etc...
Where
& what studio did the production take place of The Killer demo "Salvage
Nothing" ?
Once again we had the privilege of working with our good friend/engineer
extraordinare Thilo Fehlinger. We did the drums at Trident Studios
in Pacheco, CA (owned by another friend, Juan Urteaga of Vile) and
recorded the rest of the tracks on our digital recorder at our rehearsal
space in Oakland. This all took place from February through September
2002 between breaks in our live show schedule. After all of the mixing
and mastering, we added some samples and did the final sequencing
with Bill Lackey here in Oakland. It was released in December 2002.
What is the current scene like in your local area & how does Scorched-Earth
Policy fit in?
Some great up and coming Bay Area bands that everyone needs to check
out - Stomach, Peyote Calamity, Primate, Something Must Die, the Golden
Gods, Sift, Hostility, Osmium, Kaos, Krenshaw, Greenhouse Effect,
Rivals, etc... We are lucky to have a great support network here of
local clubs, radio shows, magazines and websites (check out powerslave.com).
It's allowed us to meet some cool people and play some killer shows.
What more can you ask for?
What's the bands long & short term goals as far as touring, recording,
writing etc.?
Has there been any label interest?
Well, we did the Rage of Achilles release and right now we are focused
on shopping "Salvage Nothing" and playing shows in places that we
haven't really hit that hard in the past. Basically getting in the
van and going or it. We've also got about 5 or 6 new tunes that we
are busy finalizing and we'll use these gigs to test drive them before
we go back into the studio. There will definitely be a new Scorched-Earth
Policy recording in the works by years end. We've been talking to
a lot of people but no one has stepped up with a real offer just yet.
What would you say is your biggest gripe about the music industry?
We knew going in to this that the entertainment industry is a lot
of bullshit. You have to do this because you enjoy and believe in
your music. That's the only thing that will carry you through all
of the hard times.
What do you think of George W. Bush ?
I think the U.S. and Great Britian did the world a favor by getting
rid of the previous Iraqi government although the timing was questionable.
But, I'm sickened to see our people getting killed over there right
now on a daily basis. Bring 'em home and let the U.N. do all of this
peace-keeping / nation building crap - that's what it's there for.
Any thing you wish ad ?
Thanks for the interview and keep up the great work! Check out our
websites: www.scorched-earthpolicy.com www.mp3.com/scorchedearthpolicy
Also, look for Scorched-Earth Policy on the upcoming Neil young tribute
album on Metal Edge records.
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