Frantik Interview: Gunfire 76 – “Bored With What I Was Doing And Needed A Change, Something To Shake It All Up”

26 Sep, 2009

Wednesday 13 is back and he is about to unleash some solid rock n’ roll gunfire! Gunfire 76, cocked and loaded, is Wednesday 13’s new project and this new project is all rock with a personified punk rock attitude. Taking a break from his horror projects to focus on something more out of his element and more in the spirit of his favorite bands, Wednesday 13 is looking to widen his horizons and let more of his creative side come into fruition. Having been sporting the horror tag for mmost of his musical career, this record will simply blow everything you’ve ever known about Wednesday 13’s musical exploits and give you a new perspective of how musical inclined he really is. Wednesday was available for some questions and we decided to send some questions his way to know more about Gunfire 76 and why he would call Alice Cooper at 3 in the morning to help bury a body.

Wednesday 13! Where have you been and how did Gunfire 76 come into play?

I have been on tour for the past 6 and half years pretty much non stop up until this past June when I stopped and wrote this new Gunfire 76 record. I was just bored with what I was doing and needed a change, something to shake it all up.

And shake it up you’re doing! “Casualties & Tragedies,” your latest material, is going to hit the streets on October 6th. Can you tell us a bit about the record and the whole writing process?

It was wrote over the summer, I wrote some of the material with Todd Youth but it was done all over the internet and phone. I recorded the cd in 8 days with my good buddy and long time recording engineer Jamie Hoover in Charlotte N.C. It came really quickly, the songs were wrote in the spirit of a lot of my favorite bands like Hanoi Rocks, Kiss, Dead Boys, New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, and the Ramones to name a few.

Nice! What sparked the creative fire inside of you this time around when writing songs for this album and how did it feel to take a step back from playing most of the album?

Boredom. I just got bored doing the whole horror thing nonstop or being expected to be the horror guy 24/7. That was the main motivation. Don’t get me wrong, I love the horror tag, and appreciate all the fans and what I’m known for but, I needed to do this for the sake of possibly putting something out with the Wednesday 13 name on it that isn’t 100%. I needed something fresh, and something to change it all up and keep me feeling creative.

Boredom does make you do some things out of the blue. Now, Gunfire 76 takes a much different approach than your solo outing and Murderdolls. It’s more rock than anything, which is totally cool! Is the Gunfire 76 sound something you’ve always dwelled on and wanted to materialize on record even before the two aforementioned projects?

Yes, but I think I have always touched on the rock sound throughout my releases over the years. The image has always blocked that for some reason, people see black hair and black clothes and assume its automatically Goth. The bands I have mentioned as the inspiration for this cd are the same bands I’ve talked about for years and years.

True, I think the pre-conceived notions once they see the image tends to block the music somehow, dumb, but people are people. What’s the significance of the album title “Casualties & Tragedies” and which song off the album best represents the Gunfire 76 sound?

“I just got bored doing the whole horror thing nonstop or being expected to be the horror guy 24/7. That was the main motivation. Don’t get me wrong, I love the horror tag, and appreciate all the fans and what I’m known for but, I needed to do this for the sake of possibly putting something out with the Wednesday 13 name on it that isn’t 100%. I needed something fresh, and something to change it all up and keep me feeling creative.”

The title of the CD is also a song on the album and to me it’s just a song about living life to the fullest with no remorse and no regrets. As far as the song that best represents the sound…I don’t know? I think each song has a different vibe so it’s hard to say.

Sounds like musician growth to me! How much of the album was written in-studio or out of the studio?

Everything was written before we went in the studio. We maybe created vocal and guitar melody parts inside but that’s about it.

How did you finalize the touring line-up and did you go through a bunch of session musicians, auditions or are was it the complete opposite where you pulled in a bunch of friends and laid out the game plan?

I pulled in a couple of friends and then searched out the other 2 guys. It means a lot to get guys that you can get along with because when u get on tour u will realize real quick if u don’t get along.

It’s a real common story I hear so you planned it right! Speaking of touring, you’ll be hitting the road soon with Bullets And Octane. How excited are you to finally unleash and play the new songs live and which song will blow people’s minds in your opinion?

Yes I’m super stoked to be going out with a new band and new songs, it’s like a fresh start. Not to mention going out with a great band like Bullets and Octane, whom I’ve been a fan of for years now. I can’t say one song that’s going to be the live show stealer, but we will just have to wait and see.

Alright, it’s time to stray off the beaten path here. If you had to bury a body at 3 in the morning, which star would you call in your cell phone address book to help you and why?

Alice Cooper, because that would be the coolest story ever to tell.

Dude, It really would, but If he came in full make-up, it would be much cooler! Do you have any weird phobia or have any annoying quirks that people might not know of otherwise?

I hate Ketchup.

Whaaaaa! How do you eat your fries? Wednesday 13, if you were reincarnated, what would you come back as?

A member of KISS.

That’s a pretty clever answer, I would’ve gone with tarantula or something to the effect of a lion, go figure. What’s the first thing you’re going to do once the new record hits the streets?

Go out and look for it in stores and buy one copy, that always fun to do. I’ve done it on every release.

Any plug, shameless promotion or anything you want to throw out there or get off your chest?

Gunfire 76 in stores and iTunes on October 6th, get your copy. Tour begins Nov 8th in NC …don’t miss out!!!

You heard the man! Catch Gunfire 76 on tour, buy the record and rock it!