www.facebook.com/Voodoo-Diamond-1473789166226500
From: London, UK
Sounds like: Rock/Metal
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “Voodoo Diamond” and is there any meaning behind it?
So I(Filipe) re-started playing guitar about 5 years ago after nearly 8 years without touching the instrument, but this time I decided to have some classes to really unlock and discover the instrument. That’s where I met James Todd (previous rhythm guitar player). We started just with jamming on the weekends but we soon moved onto writing music and decided to look for a singer, that’s how Alex came into it. Filipe was seriously into metal and bands like Killswitch Engage, Sikth, Eye Empire and Sevendust and James was totally the opposite more into blues and old school rock and roll, when Alex came in, he kinda bridged the gap with Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam influences, you know the good ol’ 90’s! haha It was actually Alex that came up with the name for the band as well Voodoo from the iconic Voodoo Child song and Diamond because it’s the hardest rock! All of us especially Filipe LOVES Jimi Hendrix so it just seemed like a kick ass name! James very sadly moved to Holland (the guy feel in love) but Alex and Filipe decided to continue and along the way we met Doug (bass player) and most recently Craig (drummer).
2. What do you want listeners to take away from your "Blindfolded" EP?
The name Blindfolded is literally how we felt when we started recording an EP. None of us had any experience with it so it was a full on discovery of not only about who we are as musicians but also the entire process. The EP comprises of 5 songs and each it’s almost a style on its own, Standing in the Rain and Hollow are a bit heavier whilst Turn Blind is more of a ballad kind of song and She’s Overloaded is a pure Rock and Roll type of tune. Tainted Skies is where you can really hear our Iberian influences and it kinda molds the path where we are heading. “Blindfolded” really helped us finding our sound! And the lyrics really reflect our state of mind at that point in time. Our next work will definitely be a lot more focused and less genre sparse if you know what I mean. So yeah, to answer your question I would say take Blindfolded as a path to find our sound!
3. What can people expect from your live show?
LOUD AS FUCK!!! :D Even the ballads sound loud!! And watch Doug going at 9000 RPM!
4. What's your favorite track to play live?
For now "Hollow" and "Standing In The Rain".
5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Oh wow each band member would have a different answer. I think all of us would agree on Killswitch Engage, Tremonti (or Alter Bridge) the third band probably Sevendust (Filipe) or Machine Head (Doug) or Foo Fighters (Craig) or Slipknot (Alex).
6. Any crazy show stories?
This interview would have to be x-rated! haha
7. What’s your take on the current state of rock?
We’re super optimistic about it! Great bands are coming out all the time also we there is Youtube and Spotify so there are a lot more tools these days to showcase a band or music, it’s up to the listener to search and look for. It sucks that there isn’t as much support from the radio or TV as the other mediums, but still, it’s a great time for metal and rock!
8. What’s the current music scene like there in the UK both locally and country wide?
It’s great man!! There are a lot of deep Rockers and Metalheads in the UK and when they like you, boy they really like you and are super supportive!!
9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?
Well with tools out there like Spotify and Youtube why would anyone download music illegally these days?
10. What’s next for Voodoo Diamond?
Well we learned a lot from “Blindfolded”, we have a super awesome line-up, we’re all friends and we are hitting the studio very soon again. Justin Hill from Sikth is producing our next EP or album (we haven’t decided it yet) and we are sure people are going to be happy with what we are preparing!
11. Any shoutouts?
Justin Hill from Sikth!! He is like a 5th band member always throwing good ideas into the pan not to mention his super inspiring new EP with Sikth!
