WELCOME TO TATTERMASK ONLINE! - BIOGRAPHY OF AN UNSIGNED BAND... TATTERMASK
tat•ter•mask. n. an emotional facade put forth by those who are crying inside, falsely signaling to the outside world that everything is alright. Few will see the true souls behind the tattered masks we wear.
JOSH WRIGHT : LEAD GUITAR |::| AMANDA CAINES : VOCALS |::| ADAM BLACKMON : DRUMS |::| HARLEY QUINN : BASS
The founding members of tattermask met in August 2007 in Lancaster, SC, when Amanda tried out as a vocalist for the other members' old band, Flatline. Being a soprano trying out for the male-fronted metal band, Amanda was not quite the kind of vocalist that the members of Flatline had in mind to front their band. A couple months later, Amanda ran into Joel Blackmon, tattermask's original rhythm guitarist, at a rock concert and, after Joel told her that they were still without a vocalist, Amanda asked if she could have a second chance at an audition for the band. Within a week, Joel and Amanda got together to jam, and Joel was much more impressed with Amanda's voice: "That's more of what I expected you to sound like." He gave Amanda a copy of the most recent song the band had recorded at their home studio and asked her to write vocals to complete the song (the song is now "Death of Me"). Convincing the rest of the band to hear Amanda's new vocals was a hard sell, and Joel ended up quitting Flatline to start up a new project with Amanda up in Rock Hill, SC. On Halloween, 2007, at a party, Amanda unleashed the vocals she had written to the band's track (karaoke-style) to a room full of fans of the old band, including drummer (and Joel's brother) Adam Blackmon. The brothers were instantly impressed with the song, and Adam, likewise, quit Flatline and joined the project in Rock Hill. Lead guitarist Josh Wright and bassist Brandon Usher soon followed suit, and tattermask's lineup was complete as of December, 2007.
The band played their first show at The Money in Rock Hill, SC on February 23, 2008, where they impressed Withstand guitarist and Zen Wang Bingo Records owner Mike Genett, who recorded their first demo EP, Looks Can Be Deceiving, that spring. The album was formally released on Halloween 2008. The singles from that EP, "Death of Me" and "Down" received regular airplay on Greenville's 93.3 The Planet's Upstate Unsigned show and Charlotte's 106.5 The End's 90 Minutes show, as well as regular rotation on several college radio stations in the Carolinas and some online stations.
• Josh (lead guitar) was featured on GuitarWorld.com in September with a video review for Paul Reed Smith Guitars' SE Torero, and, as part of the deal, Guitar World Magazine sent Josh a free guitar with special serial number 666 as a nod to his metal style of playing. It is hard to beat a free Paul Reed Smith guitar.
• Amanda (vocals/guitar) received a nomination for Best Female Rock Vocalist at the 2010 Carolina Music Awards in Raleigh, NC.
• Tattermask has been featured in the SCarowinds attraction soundtrack every season since 2008.
• Tattermask was featured as 93.3 The Planet's Local Band of the Week in 2009.
Tattermask is proud to release our first full-length album, "After the Storm..." on 11/11/11 (AKA "National Metal Day"). After the CD release, the band will resume writing new music and booking the best, most awesome shows we can find locally and as far as the tatter-van can drive starting in 2012.
JOSH WRIGHT : LEAD GUITAR |::| AMANDA CAINES : VOCALS |::| ADAM BLACKMON : DRUMS |::| HARLEY QUINN : BASS
1. Where are you "from"?
Where am I from? That is a very relative question with many possible answers. One could base their answer on geographic location, which in my case would be a suburb of Charlotte, NC. Another answer would be me being a smart-ass and say from “Earth”, but I honestly don’t know if I am or not.
2. What band or song first inspired you to start playing rock music? I have wanted to play guitar for as long as I can remember. The first bands I can recall remarking upon were Boston and The Doobie Brothers, mostly because my parents raised me in a classic rock household. The band that REALLY lit a fire under my ass to play guitar was Metallica.
3. What year did you start playing? I finally acquired a guitar in mid 2000 after I had gotten a summer job to help raise money to pay for the restoration of my first car. I had a little extra money one week, so I decided to finally get a guitar and amp. It was an extremely cheap Lotus guitar (Strat copy) and an even worse 5 watt Gorilla Amp.
4. Did you play any instruments before that? Which ones? Do you still play any other instruments? Actually, I was a drummer in school and played for about three and a half years before selling my kit. I do play a little bass, just to fuck around with different sounds. I do have a mandolin and can play it...if I tune it like a guitar.
5. What was the name of your first band (& what type of music)? My first band...ugh...my first band consisted of a revolving door of the same musicians rotating in and out. We played mostly original music with traces of industrial, thrash, and good ‘ol hard rock. The first band name I can remember having is “Human.” The first band that I was in where we actually were paid for gigs was called “Flatline.”
6. What are some bands/styles you've played in? I did play accordion in a Polka band for a little while...I’m joking. Like I said for the previous question, I have dabbled in trash metal, nu-metal, classic rock, acoustic guitar rock, and instrumental guitar. All of these have consisted of the same one or two bands trying to be as diverse as possible. I am completely capable of playing some fucked-up time signature over non-stop double bass filled with blast beats, but that is not what I ever wanted to wind up doing. I am happy writing what I write and having the option to go either a little heavier or a little lighter with the music. I find it extremely frustrating to limit myself to just metal or just acoustic. Why do that? Broadening your horizons will ultimately make you a better musician and will allow you to fit in musically with a lot more people.
7. What are your favorite songs/bands now? Currently, my favorite song is “Make it Right” by Alter Bridge. It just really hits home with me lyrically and besides, Tremonti is bad-ass on guitar.
8. Greatest song of all time: Hard one. In my honest opinion, the greatest song ever written would be Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” No matter how many times I listen to that song, it still gives me goose bumps.
9. What milestone would make you feel you've accomplished your goal in music? Well, I think the day I can quit my regular job and still maintain all of my regular bills playing our original music would be the day I accomplish my goal. Everyone has the “rock star” dreams and their illusions of grandeur, and yeah I wish that we could be on tour in our tour bus or driving behind it in our custom Ferraris, but lets get serious, unless you’re Ozzy or Metallica, that isn’t going to happen. The music industry is changing and the artists are the ones who seem to be suffering the most. I suppose that is why they call them “dreams.” As for my goal, I absolutely think it is obtainable.
10. What are your hobbies? I do like to tinker around with cars and go to car shows. Every July I absolutely love to drive to Myrtle Beach, SC for their annual Mustang Week. I also like to play video games and customize guitars.
11. What is your favorite food? On a budget: Pizza Not on a budget: Steak On tour: Spaghettios
12. What is your biggest pet peeve? My biggest music related pet peeve is these people in bands who think they are rock stars before they even get out of the garage...most of them need to go back to the garage and actually learn basic chord structure and a few scales. They come out of the gates screaming “LISTEN TO US, WE’RE BAD-ASS!!” When the fact of the matter is, you couldn’t pay me to listen to them. I suppose I just try to put a little too much thought into what I write and I have been knocked down a few pegs after some shows by a few overly honest fans. Those types of things hurt. I don’t want people coming up telling me how much they think I suck as a guitarist and how they think my band sounds like Kurt Cobain farting through a helium balloon (I have never had anyone say that by the way), I just try to stay humble and let the music speak for itself. Besides, I am usually too shy to walk up and tell you how fuckin’ bad-ass my band is.My biggest non-musical pet peeve is small children with snot running down their faces. Seriously, wipe your crib-midget’s face! That’s nasty. It grosses me out.
13. What, as a 10-year-old, did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? Hell, at 10 years old I wanted to be all sorts of things. Guitarist was actually one of them. I wanted to be an animator and a drummer too. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but to play guitar in a band is about as close as I can get to actually being happy in a job.
1. Where are you "from"? Rock Hill is where I've lived the longest, but I grew up in Washington, D.C.2. What band or song first inspired you to start playing rock music? Collective Soul's "Shine," but watching my Dad play guitar when I was little was a part of why I picked guitar as an instrument3. What year did you start playing? I started singing back in the mid-80s (with a dark period from 1993-2001), but I picked up a guitar for the first time in 1994.4. Did you play any instruments before that? Which ones? Do you still play any other instruments? I took five years of piano lessons when I was younger, and I played on the marching drumline for 4 years in high school and college... also marched half a season of Carolina Crown (Drum & Bugle Corps) on soprano bugle in 2000... played bass in a few bands since 8th grade.... still decent at that. I was pretty bad-ass on the recorder when I was in elementary school, too.5. What was the name of your first band (& what type of music)? I had two bands in 8th grade, both of which played for the entire student body in the middle school talent show: Sinless Calm (we played Nirvana), and Dead Summer (we played Green Day) LOL. I felt like a rock star.6. What are some bands/styles you've played in? I started off with some grunge- and punk-based alternative rock in an all-girl band called "Skank." That's where I first started writing music--9th grade. I've also briefly played drums in a ska band and a metal band (hated it!), and played drum set in Jazz Band in high school. So that's a lot of different styles. Right before Tattermask, it was acoustic grunge rock with the singer of what is now Temporary Empire.7. What are your favorite songs/bands now? I really like mostly unsigned bands' music these days (Obraskai, A Light Divided, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, The Spiveys), but I still love some Toad the Wet Sprocket, Mozart, Faure, Evanescence, Our Lady Peace, Static-X... the list goes on and on.8. Greatest song of all time: Up until recently, I thought "Comfortably Numb," but even that one is starting to lose its magic a little. I blame the "Worst Rock Band Ever Covers Pink Floyd" video on YouTube.9. What milestone would make you feel you've accomplished your goal in music? Making a comfortable living playing my own music.10. What are your hobbies? Graphic design, singing classical music, reading, making spreadsheets, learning about marketing... Nerd alert!11. What is your favorite food? I can't pick just one... But Fat Tire is my favorite beer!12. What is your biggest pet peeve? People who can't mind their own business.13. What, as a 10-year-old, did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? Some sort of performer... but I couldn't decide if I wanted to be a singer, a dancer, or a gymnast... I also wanted to play the organ for the Washington Capitals' games...14. Do you have any stupid/silly facts or anecdotes to share? ... I could tell you... but then I'd have to kill you...
1. Where are you "from"?
Lancaster, SC
2. What band or song first inspired you to start playing rock music?
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush
3. What year did you start playing?
December, 2001
4. Did you play any instruments before that? Which ones? Do you still play any other instruments?
I started out with percussion in the school band in middle school.
I changed to various percussion-based instruments during middle and high school. I can pick around at the guitar, nothing fancy though.
5. What was the name of your first band (& what type of music)?
My first band was Flat Line....we played hard rock.
6. What are some bands/styles you've played in?
Flat Line, Tattermask, Shadow of One and then back to Tattermask again. All the bands have similar style, it's all rock.
7. What are your favorite songs/bands now?
Favorite bands would be Tool, Soilwork, Sevendust, Jason Mraz, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Ray Charles, Slipknot, The Beatles, Mudvayne(early stuff), Dark New Day, Korn, Rush, Nonpoint...the list can go on and on. Favorite songs are tougher because that is a harder list to make. I would say my top 3 songs are "Stabbing the Drama" by Soilwork, "Ticks and Leeches" by Tool, and "Come to Life" by Alter Bridge.
8. Greatest song of all time:
This is really hard to narrow down because I have my favorite songs from each genre of music I like. Favorite rock/metal song would be "Death Blooms" by Mudvayne because it is the first metal band I listened to when I was younger. Jason Mraz is a genius in his style because it's his own style all together. My favorite song by Jason Mraz is "Only Human."
9. What milestone would make you feel you've accomplished your goal in music?
When I have not been home in over a year and visited almost every country. When my reputation on the street is shot because people know my face and rush me to meet me and get autographs.
Also, when my pockets are full of cash.
10. What are your hobbies?
Music first of all, drawing, painting, tattooing, making things from any kind of scrap parts, video games, watching movies....I have a long list of things I like to do.
11. What is your favorite food?
Sushi and Chinese food.
12. What is your biggest pet peeve?
I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, so I have many pet peeves.
Main one, do not piss me off.
13. What, as a 10-year-old, did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
Wow, a long time ago to think about. I guess into music or art because that is the two main classes that I focused on. Music class was very different from other classes, it intrigued me right away.
Art was the same way, I felt at home with arts. I have always drawn and done art since I was 3 years old.
14. Do you have any stupid/silly facts or anecdotes to share?
I was walking down the sidewalk with my little cousin, and I saw a very short man throwing around a baseball with his son, and wondered what my little cousin would say. So we get to the playground and I asked what he thought of the man with no legs. He said he thought he was standing in a hole throwing a ball to his son.
1. Where are you "from"?
I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC.. though most of my close friends will swear that I am from another world or planet. Mars or Jupiter perhaps??
2. What band or song first inspired you to start playing rock music?
Led Zeppelin. The first song I learned to play on bass was actually Black Dog by Led Zep. I always loved how diverse their music was and how intricate and detailed everything was from the complexity of the rhythms to the overall sound of the finished songs. Still a big fan of them.... I may or may not possess every album they came out with ;D
3. What year did you start playing?
Let's see, I first started playing bass in my 8th grade jazz band [snazzy, I know] so that was.... 2005 [and yes, I actually had to write down the years going backwards from when I graduated to figure this out]
4. Did you play any instruments before that? Which ones? Do you still play any other instruments?
I started out as a classically trained musician before I went over to the dark side. I learned to read music before I learned to read the English language, and then started playing clarinet, which was my main instrument for years. I haven't played the clarinet much since I switched over to the dark side and the bass stole my soul, but I have played it for about 14 years now. I also play some piano and have dabbled in percussion. I still play piano and love it [though not as much as I love bass of course].
5. What was the name of your first band (& what type of music)?
Tattermask is actually my first actual Band band that I have played in, although before then I have played bass for many a school musical production and tons of side concerts for my mother [who is a musical director].
6. What are some bands/styles you've played in?
everything from classical to musicals to rock to metal and a ton in between
7. What are your favorite songs/bands now?
Some favorite bands are SlipknoT: Duality, the Nameless, Sulfur, Dead Memories, Snuff, Eyeless, Vermillion [pt. 1, pt. 2, and pt. 2 Bloodstone mix], Circle, Pulse of the Maggots, Liberate; Korn: Freak on a Leash, Got the Life, Get Up!, Y’all Want a Single, Did My Time, Alone I Break, Here to Stay, Make Me Bad, Somebody Someone, Trash, Falling Away From Me, Lets Get This Party Started, Blind, Shoots and Ladders, Oildale, Pop a Pill, A.D.I.D.A.S., Twist, Kidnap the Sandy Claws, Eaten Up Inside, Narcissistic Cannibal, Illuminati, Snactuary, Twisted Transistor, Hypocrites, Getting Off, Liar, Right Now, Deep Inside, Hushabye, Thoughtless, Bleeding Out; Tool: Schism, the Pot, Forty-six & 2, Wings for Marie, Ten Thousand Days [wings pt. 2], Eulogy, Third Eye, AEnema, Parabol, Porabola, Jambi; Avenged Sevenfold: Critical Acclaim, Almost Easy, Scream, Afterlife, Unbound [the Wild Ride], Brompton Cocktail, Lost, A Little Piece of Heaven, Beast and the Harlot, Bat Country, Burn it Down, Blinded in Chains, Trashed and Scattered, Nightmare, God Hates Us, Fiction, Save Me; Deftones: Change [in the house of flies], My Own Summer [Shove it]; Bullet for my Valentine: Pretty on the Outside, 4 Words [to Choke Upon], All These Things I Hate [Revolve Around Me], Room 409, Waking the Demon, Deliver us from Evil, Tears Dont Fall; My Chemical Romance [guilty pleasure]: The Sharpest Lives, Welcome to the Black Parade, I Dont Love You, House of Wolves, Mama, Sleep, Famous Last Words, Helena, To the End, I’m Not Okay [I Pormise], Its Not a Fashion Statement Its a Deathwish;, Led Zeppelin: Black Dog, The Rain Song, Over the Hills and Far Away, Dancing Days, D’yer Mak’er, Dazed and Confused, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Immigrant Song, Stairway to Heaven, When the Levee Breaks, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand, Nobody’s Fault but Mine; System of a Down: BYOB, Chop Suey!, Hypnotize, Boom!, Sugar, Aerials, Legend of Zelda Theme, Mushroom Cult; Celldweller: Frozen; Stone Sour: Say You’ll Haunt Me; Zombie Girl: Creepy Crawler; Hollywood Undead: Levitate; Anberlin: Paperthin Hymn; Soil: Black 7; Kevin Rudolf: Let it Rock; [and about a guhzillion other songs I am just too lazy to type out, and yes, I had to use my iPod to actually remember all of this]
8. Greatest song of all time:
The Theme Song for the old “horror” movie The Blob
9. What milestone would make you feel you've accomplished your goal in music?
Rocking my heart out in front of thousands of people and playing in a show with some of my favorite bands
10. What are your hobbies?
Reading [yes I am a nerd], Oldschool video games like on the good ol’ N64 and Atari [yes i am a geek], driving just for the fun of it, going to the beach, chilling with friends, playing my bass [duh], cooking and baking, being creative and making stuff [like weird dolls and personalizing clothes and just random shit], being INSANE, watching movies, spushing
11. What is your favorite food?
Turkey, gravy.... mmmmmmmmmmm gravy
12. What is your biggest pet peeve?
squeaky windshield wipers, idiotic people, Charlotte drivers
13. What, as a 10-year-old, did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
a musician [even when I was a kid I wanted to rock out]
14. Do you have any stupid/silly facts or anecdotes to share?
I STRONGLY dislike multiples of five.... I don't know why, but I really just hate them. So I set all my alarms and the microwave and everything to things like 6:02 or 4:59. When I was a kid, one year for Halloween I wanted to be Batman.. My mother tried to talk me into being catwoman or batgirl, and I remember yelling at her telling her “NO I WANT TO BE BATMAN”.. needless to say, I was indeed Batman that year. BOOYAH.
