Interview with Dance Club Massacre lead vocalist Nick Seger and guitarist Mitch Hein

Described as American Avant-garde Metal the Chicago based band Dance Club Massacre play a mixture of grindcore, hardcore punk and extreme music with a twist. In a genre known for lyrics that are dark and often evil and foreboding, these guys have taken a decidedly different approach. Despite the CDs’ title, Circle Of Death, these guys have written songs about chics, beer and partying. Circle Of Death was recently released on Black Market Activities and I had a chance to speak with lead vocalist Nick Seger and guitarist Mitch Hein about the bands music and their unusual lyrical content.

Different groups have unique ways of writing their songs. How do you guys go about writing your music? Is it a collective effort or is it more the efforts of one particular member of the band?
Mitch: Actually, it is more so one person at a time. Nick and Mitch write all of the songs on their own at home. Then bring them to the band and fill in the gaps.

The name of the band Dance Club Massacre is interesting to say the least and sounds as if there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from and what is the story?
Nick: There is no significant story to it honestly. Back in high school, we had a band named Dance Club Massacre because it sounded “cool and original.” Later when the new Dance Club Massacre was formed, which is what we are today, we just threw that old name on it. Turns out it wasn’t so original… Funny thing is, recently we have actually been winning free VIP parties for like 8 weeks in a row to this Dance Club. So now the name fits I guess.

Your brand new CD titled Circle Of Death has just been release. Now that it is complete, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
Mitch: We are very happy with how this record turned out. The first record was more of a glorified demo… a compilation of everything we had written as a band at that point. We actually go to sit down and write this album as a whole, and I feel that we have really stepped it up this time around.

Give us some insight into the album lyrically. You guys seem to write from a different perspective than other bands by incorporating more of a party type undertone to your songs as opposed to the normal dark and depressing lyrics usually associated with this genre.
Nick: I personally just cannot write about such serious lyrics for heavy metal. I haven’t really been pissed off enough about anything to get on stage and yell in front of everyone. Metal to me is the same as everything else in my life. Fun. It’s all about the Bs. Beers, Babes, Body slams, Board Games, Barbecues, Basketball, etc.

The songs on your new record Circle Of Death are not exactly what you would find on your typical Metal album. You offer a welcome range of musical sounds and abilities from Grind-Core to Metal-Core to Indie/alt-rock. Do you think this is due in part to your varied influences and/or a desire to explore new realms of music?
Mitch: Well it probably has a lot to do with the fact that everyone who has ever been in this band has very different tastes in music. We draw from all of our influences and use it to our advantage to create something new and interesting.

Nick: The main goal is to play fast fuckin’ metal that will haunt you. Or… just metal to party to. Half-and-half.

What is the toughest lesson you ever learned in the studio and on the stage?
Nick: When it comes to the studio, make sure you are 110% prepared on the first day. Then the record producer can kick your ass until you are 150% prepared by day two.

Mitch: As far as on stage goes, we’ve learned that not everyone is going to catch on to our sense of humor… so you kind of have to watch what you say sometimes, or else you might have a lot of people wanting to kick your ass after the show.

By gaining a major label deal at such an early point in your career, it is clear that record execs see a lot of potential in your abilities. How do you not let that sort of pressure get to you when on the road or writing new material?
Mitch: Actually, we really don’t ever think about that kind of stuff. We just do what we want to do. We do not care about the current trends or anything like that… we are just here to write music that we like, and party all the time.

When you are on the road for a while, I am sure you see and experience many different things you might not even have known existed. Are there any stories that stand out in your mind as being exceptionally strange or odd?
Mitch: We have stayed at so many people’s houses; it is weird to see how different people live their lives. We have stayed in some of the smallest, dirtiest, shittiest places on earth and met some of the craziest people ever… we have also stayed in the biggest, nicest houses and had full meals cooked for us by the nicest people ever. Touring is weird man.

We have all heard the stories about back stage antics and groupies. Is there any truth to those stories and if so do you have any outrageous stories or tales that you would care to share?
Mitch: To keep this short and sweet, we like to party.

What is next for Dance Club Massacre?
Nick: People are going to be seeing more and more of Dance Club Massacre every day, month, year. If you have not seen us yet, you will. I personally feel we still will progress musically every album we make. The plan is to keep touring, keep writing, keep meeting more and more people everywhere, and god damn it have fun every single day doing it. Party on.  [ END ]