Ok, this is part One of my interview with Mary Bielich, lead singer of Del Rios, thier album Lobos was released a few months ago. Now let me do some background on how I actually got to do this interview. Mary is a legend in the Pittsburgh metal scene. She is also a very good friend of mine and this is my first blog that I will be interviewing musicians. So here is Part 1 of the interview. 1. How old were you when you joined your first band?
-- I was 16 and in high school in Indiana. My best buddy, Dirk
Chilian and I formed The Muhatmas. We were kind of punky and not
really very good at all, but man, we had fun.
2. How many bands have you been in since your first band?
-- WAY too many. 30? I think around there somewhere! (That includes
fill-ins and one-off shows.)
3. Any crazy band/touring stories you wouldn't mind sharing?
-- Dennis, you know the saying, "What happens in Vegas stays in
Vegas"? AHEM - HA! No, actually, no crazy stories from me. I was
ALWAYS in charge of doing the van night driving, which could be 6-16
hours in one stretch, so I was sober and boring almost 100% of the
time. Played some GREAT shows (In basements, kitchens, clubs, bars,
coffee shops, garages, squats), met LOTS of great people along the
way, saw LOTS of great bands, drank tons and tons and TONS of diet
soda. That pretty much breaks down the wild and crazy touring life
for me!
4. What did you think when you recorded your first track for the first
Penance Album you were on?
--I thought, "Oh crap...I hope they like this!"
5. If you had a chance to do it all over again, and it would end up
differently, would you?
-- Wouldn't change a thing. All decisions made, good or bad, paved
the groundwork for the future. I feel lucky to have experienced some
great things with some of the best people in the world, so nope, I'll
take the bad with the good, and keep things just the way they are.
6. What were your musical influences when you were younger, compared to now?
-- Almost everyone and everything that I hear is influential to me,
even to this day. Influences are EVERYWHERE. It's is impossible to
name them all as the list would go one for pages and pages, but I will
rattle off some of my classic solids:
Bass guitar: Jack Bruce (CREAM), John Entwistle (The WHO), John
Paul Jones (LED ZEP) , Christopher Squire (YES)
Guitar: Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Pete Townshend (The WHO), Michael
"Olga" Algar (TOY DOLLS), Brian May (QUEEN)
Vocals: Roger Daltrey (The WHO), John Brannon (NEGATIVE
APPROACH/LAUGHING HYENAS), Bon Scott (AC/DC), Tim Armstrong (OPERATION
IVY/RANCID)
(The Above Photo is of Mary and Matt playing in The Mud Cityn Manglers.)
Stay tuned for Part 2. In Part 2 I will also be interviewing Mary's husband, guitar and music eficianato Matthew Tuitte.
