Rob: Penance has evolved over its lifetime so far...could you give us a rough history of the band and line-up changes? Butch: Well the band evolved out of Dream Death. That band had ended and Terry Weston (gtr), Mike Smail (drums), and Rich Freund (bass) stayed together to form a new band. Former Dream death vocalist/guitarist Brian Goodbread ended up singing on the initial Penance demo �Living Truth�. He joined fulltime and the band recorded their debut album for Rise Above Records, �The Road Less Traveled�. When it came time to tour europe with Cathedral and Sleep, Brian backed out. So enter Lee Smith (currently in Sally) who joined the band for the tour. Lee was the vocalist as well on the �Parallel Corners� album which Century Media released. Rich Freund left the band prior to the album � Frank Miller was the bassist on PC. When it came time to record the follow-up to PC there was some bad luck with Lee�s visa and he got shipped back to England. From there the band basically was dropped was the label and kind of took a break from things. I met the band through an ad they placed for a singer. By 1997 we got the ball rolling with Mike, Terry, and myself��� Brian Goodbread helped us on bass for our first demo �Bridges To Burn�. Then Ron �Ozzy� Leard joined in August of 98. Ron was with us for 2 years during which time we recorded the �Proving Ground� album and an EP called �A Turn For The Worse� (which has finally been released as the second half of the material on �Alpha & Omega�. In September of 2000 Ron decided to move to California��coincidentally Mary Bielich, whom we all knew, was moving back to Pittsburgh from Chicago. Matt Tuite, of Wickerman, was in tow. We did some talking and got together to jam and voila � new line-up. We had new material written fairly quickly and one year and a deal with The Martyr Music Group later we released �Alpha & Omega�. Believe it or not that�s a condensed version of our history. HA !
Rob: How do you think Alpha and Omega fit into the whole picture, or how do you feel about it compared to earlier recorded material?
Butch: Well this is an odd album in that it�s an album of two halves, recorded by two different line-ups and yet it all hangs together well. I�d say the latter half of the album (the �A Turn For The Worse� EP) embodies a lot of the things Penance has been known for � the heaviness, the darkness of it musically and lyrically. With the 5 new tracks we opened our sound up a bit. It�s still Penance�..but maybe a bit more catchy, diverse and straightforward��a bit more positive lyrically and upbeat musically��definitely more guitar jamming going on. We�re all proud of this album�.but this is just the beginning for this line-up.
Rob: What are some of the other great doom acts in your regional scene?
Butch: Pittsburgh isn�t exactly a hotbed for doom unfortunately�� BUT there are some great bands here � the Delian League comes to mind � they call their music �Cruiser Rock�. Great live band � I love their singer Rodan�s voice I really think fans of stoner rock or just flat out hard rock would dig them. But for doom you�d have to go to Cleveland for the mighty Abdullah�� I�m not aware of any other doom bands in Pittsburgh or going down into West Virginia.
Rob: What would you say are the common influencial bands among all of the current members?
Butch: That�s a tough question. I kind of know what Mary (bass) is into but I�m actually not sure about Matt. I guess I should ask them one of these days who their favorites are hahaha�..I think we all dig some of the same bands � Trouble, Black Sabbath, you know the typical influences for a band like ours but from those few bands everyone is into so much different stuff�..from blues to R&B to punk to death metal�.it runs the gamut.
Rob: StonerRock. The term...it doesn`t really bug me (obviously), but how do you feel about the term and what about the bands in the scene? Got any favorites...
Butch: The term doesn�t bother me too much. We�ve never really put a label on ourselves other than heavy rock. If people want to call us doom, metal, stoner rock�..it�s fine. I do think that as a genre label the term �Stoner rock� is instantly limiting. A lot of people hear that term and think about hippie bands like the Grateful Dead�..or they think all the bands are burnouts or that fans need to do drugs to enjoy the music or that the scene is about the drugs when it really is about the music first. As for bands � with any scene there comes a point where clones start watering things down. It used to be I could go into Brave New World here in Pittsburgh and ask what the new stoner rock releases were and 4 of 5 would be great. Now there are bands that think that copping a KYUSS groove or repeating a Sabbath riff or trying to out-noise the Melvins is enough to form a band. Hey � we all borrow from our influences but what sets the good bands apart is their ability to take those influences and work through them to form your own unique way of songwriting and performing. Some of my favorite current doom and stoner rock bands are Spirit Caravan, Pentagram, Fu Manchu, Abdullah, Slow Horse, Earth Ride, Internal Void (who incidentally released one of the greatest albums of the genre when they released �Unearthed� � these dudes are criminally underrated), Solace, Orange Goblin, Sheavy, Bottom, Place Of Skulls, Solitude Aeturnus, Unorthodox, Halfway To Gone, Fireball Ministry�� and of course I still regularly listen to Trouble.
Rob: Now that this new record is in the bag, are there any plans for tours? West Coast?
Butch: Nothing solid for anytime before mid to late Summer 2002. We�d like to play on the West Coast� we�d also like to get over to Europe. It is all going to boil down to what opportunities present themselves. We�re unfortunately not in a position to tour frequently or for long stretches. Jobs and families will limit you somewhat.
Rob: Describe the songwriting and how it takes place...what is the Penance sound? What do you write about?
Butch: Songwriting is generally Terry, Mike, or Matt bringing a riff or even a full song to rehearsal where we bash it out and roughly arrange it musically. From there I�ll work on vocal melodies and then lyrics. Everyone contributes though, be it arranging, an idea for a bridging riff, ideas for lyrics, etc�. it�s a group effort. I don�t know how I�d describe the �Penance� sound�� It�s a combination of a lot of our influences. And with every album that sound changes a bit. As for what we choose to write about � I think we have all tried to base our lyrics on our own lives. Things that hurt us, that anger us, that confuse us�� Or about experiences we�ve had that have had a meaningful effect upon us in some way. I know I try to write lyrics that are personal to me � it is self-exorcising and therapeutic actually.
Rob: What is the greatest band of all time? hehehe....
Butch: The Beatles. Truly at the end of the day I can�t say that any band was ever as consistently good or as creative as the Beatles were.
Rob: Religion...
Butch: I can�t speak for the rest of the band but I don�t follow any sort of organized religion. I have a real problem with how hypocritical religions like Catholicism are. I�ll give you an example. A friend of mine wanted his brother to be his child�s godfather. He was told by the priest that his brother was not in good standing with the Catholic church (because he didn�t attend mass) and therefore could not be the baby�s godfather, it didn�t matter that the brother was a good person��. Turns out the priest who decreed this got busted jerking off in a porno shop�� If going to church helps you out � go for it, but it�s not for me and don�t try to force morals based on YOUR religious beliefs down my throat. I struggle constantly with whether or not I even believe in God. I believe that there is more to life and our being than meets the eye but I don�t know that it can be attributed to an all powerful being��. On the flip side I also think that some people take hating religion to ridiculous extremes using their stance as an excuse to be criminals. These are people whose actions just scream �I need a hug��� Extremism on either end of religion is bullshit and foolish.
Rob: New bands on MTV That suck. Bands that suck...
Butch: I don�t even watch MTV anymore so I couldn�t tell you. Bands that suck? I could go on for days. All this boy band, teen diva stuff blows�� All the rap-metal stuff sucks�.. I hate ska music�.. It�s a shame � but there really are a lot of bands that suck these days. At least in the mainstream.
Rob: How often do you rehearse?
Butch: Once or twice a week usually.
Rob: What are some upcoming band plans...recordings...go overseas?
Butch: We�re writing songs for the next album now. Just finished one up last evening called �The Unanswered�. We have a ton of riffs to sift through � some stuff is just awaiting vocal melodies and lyrics. We�re going to hopefully have a split 7� with Earth Ride at some point this year. As far as any other releases � my guess would be that our next album will be out in late 2002/early 2003. We want to get overseas but have no current plans to do so. It all comes down to what kind of interest we can drum up to get offered a good tour. It�s been 8 years since Penance toured Europe. As well we�d like to get our album lisenced for European release��. We think the album would be successful over there.
Rob: And this is the part of the interview where we here at StonerRock.com ask the "13 stupid questions" ...you can answer these short if you want:)
If you weren`t a rocker, what would you most like to be?
Butch: A recliner
Rob: What was your worst gig and why? What was your best gig and why?
Butch: Worst gig for me was the Emissions From The Monolith Festival Spring 2001. I was having vocal problems and I had a dreadful show � just dreadful. It was embarassing for me to sing in front of my peers, friends, and the fans and sound like such utter shite. Best gig? We�ve had a lot of fun doing shows with lots of bands. I guess my first gig with the band and then the CD release party for �Alpha & Omega� with Place Of Skulls.
Rob: Top 3 movies, books and albums of all time?
Butch: Movies � Scarface, Swingers, The Fellowship of The Ring
Books � The Godfather, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, The Stand (unabridged version)
Albums - Beatles "Revolver"
KISS "Alive !"
Angel "Angel"
Rob: How often do you surf the net and what do you mostly do while online?
Butch: Too often � checking out music sites, playing games, checking my e-mail, surfing for porn.
Rob: What is your favourite city and venue to play, and why?
Butch: Right now it�s Pittsburgh because we don�t have to drive far and what we collect at the door covers our expenses ! Playing down in Maryland is always fun � some of our favorite bands are from the area � Internal Void, Spirit Caravan, Earth Ride, Unorthodox���..
Rob: What is the most Rock `n` Roll thing you`ve ever done?
Butch: Getting shitfaced at the first Emmissions From The Monolith festival and puking in the parking lot while telling those around me how metal it was � of course it was all caught on tape��.
Rob: What`s the most Rock `n` Roll thing you`ve seen someone else do?
Butch: Sherman from Spirit Caravan/Earth Ride � after a gig in Columbus , Ohio � whipping out his yang and pissing a pentagram on the lot behind the club��..Hahahaha Or Tommy from Solace tossing himself through Bixby�s drums���..
Rob: What`s your worst "bad trip" story?
Butch: Never had a bad trip per se � except once whilst under the influence of some fine fungus � I had a friend (also under the influence) follow me around all night being totally annoying and giggling like a little kidl��. It really brought the experience down a notch��.I was just trying to enjoy a cool buzz and this dude just wanted to be obnoxious��� Otherwise � my stories are all about drinking too much � puking on myself whilst driving � that kind of thing��
Rob: What`s the most painful thing you have ever witnessed at a rock show?
Butch: Trixter opening up for KISS in 1992.
Rob: How old were you when you first realize you wanted to rock?
Butch: I first wanted to be in a band around age 12 � prior to that I always liked music but never thought about playing music.
Rob: What`s the most embrassing job you ever had?
Butch: Dishwashing at Friendly�s and Eat N Park Restaurants because I�d end up smelling like the inside of a garbage can by the time I left. I worked at a box company once. I literally either assembled, taped, or broke down boxes for 7 hours a day one summer����
Rob: What`s your favourite ice cream flavor?
Butch: Butter Pecan
Rob: If you could date any rock star Dead or Alive in the world, who would it be? Movie star?
Rock Star � Anneke from The Gathering
Movie Star � Nicole Kidman or Janine Lindenmulder
TV Star � Aisha Tyler from Talk Soup and Fifth Wheel � gorgeous
Rob: What would be the ultimate dream gig of all time line-up be, with your band opening? Limit to 3 bands please (including your own...) and where?
Butch: KISS
Black Sabbath (with Dio singing not only the Dio era stuff but also the Ozzy and Gillan stuff)
Penance at Madison Square Garden
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