Black Wing Halo

What's up Philly! It's been quite a while since I posted but I was waiting to bring you an awesome interview with our friends from New York, Black Wing Halo. Fresh off an album release of "Welcome to the Show and currently killing shows up and down the North East, Black Wing Halo was nice enough to take some time out of their busy schedule to answer a few questions about the new album, their time on the road, and their future plans (they're wild!). Make sure you check out their new album and catch them on tour!

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions guys! I guess we should start with the name, how’d that come about?
It's from a Tom Waits lyric in "Potter's Field". We're big Waits fans. Until recently, we were known as "decibel." until DJs started emailing us asking how to play our techno festival.

So you just released your new album at the end of May, congrats! If you were to describe the sound to a new fan that hasn’t gotten ahold of it yet, what would you say?
Thanks! We're stoked about it. It sounds like Mike Patton and Tom Waits in a fist fight.

How was the recording and writing process like for “Welcome to the Show”?
A lot of the songs were written a while ago, they just needed to mature. Some had even been recorded in a couple of different stages of life. But they had all taken shape once we headed to Harrisburg to record.

How was working in the studio with Jason Rubal?
It was pretty awesome. Jason so blatantly loves what he is doing, and he does a great job of getting the most out of a song. He's no joke.

The band’s sound is definitely unique and blends a lot of different styles/instrumentation, how did you guys bring everything together?
We throw a bunch of stuff into the Vitamix. Seriously, feels like that. We'll write a riff ripping off Melvins, a chorus ripping off Clutch, and throw in a bridge ripping off Portishead.

What artists or bands have influenced you guys as you’ve grown?
Patton; in every incarnation, Waits, Nina Simone, Public Enemy, Jeff Buckley, Dead Kennedys, METZ, Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Subpar Brakers, Against Me, Cloud Nothings, Foo Fighters, Eminem, and of course, Super Bob.

You’ve been hitting the road hard for the new album! You just played NXNE, how was that?
Toronto was amazing, and there was such an amazing array of music to see, it would be hard not to get influenced and motivated there.

How do live performances go with all the different instruments and styles you have in your sound?
Pretty easily. The loops are sometimes tough to stay on top of once all the sounds are added to the pot, but mostly our live show is under control. Mostly.

Did you manage to catch any other awesome performances there that stood out to you?
At NXNE? Yeah! METZ, Flaming Lips, The Bright Light Social Hour, Neon Windbreaker, A Place to Bury Strangers, Death Set, Oberhofer.

Are there any new artists that you’ve recently come across that you really admire what they’re doing?
METZ are pretty killer. We're stealing their light set up. And being in New York, we're privileged to catch new stuff every day. Pretty awesome to just go to any club and catch 4-5 bands that you've never heard of before. And we can learn from everybody and anybody. With so many bands, everyone has something new to teach us.

Where’s your favorite place to perform at?
Arlene's Grocery and Mercury Lounge in New York. Grog Shop in Cleveland. The Lost in Syracuse.

Do you guys have a favorite venue to play when you’re in Philly?
We do now! Connie's Ric Rac were so great to us! Let us stick around for Jameson and BIg Buckhunter. Also like Northstar and Kung Fu Necktie.

Any other plans in store for Black Wing Halo in 2012?
Yes! Keep doing little run outs for the weekend, that will eventually turn into week long mini tours, and then two week tours. We've also got some plans for home with a show at Mercury on 7/17 and some festivals coming up. And a split 7" with some friends. And a show with strippers. That's coming up too.


Grab a copy of their album and give them a listen then hop on a train and catch their next show on July 17th at the Mercury Lounge in New York, NY!

Check them out:
http://www.reverbnation.com/blackwinghalo
http://blackwinghalo.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blackwinghalomusic
https://twitter.com/#!/blackwinghalo


Lauren Resnick
Monster Entertainment LLC
lauren@wearemonsterent.com
www.wearemonsterent.com