Graven Image Interview
By: Losillë
The Graven Image Photo Gallery on CFM
“We are a metal band man; you cannot do the kind of music we do and not have
a big dick or at least be willing to use it.”
Spider
(aka Prince Albert) bassist has been in the group for 8 months. Spider got
is name from Kainan, “ named him after watching him play bass because his
hands looked like spiders.”
Hectic - (aka The Normal One) guitar and song writer. One of the
founding members of Graven Image. Kainan said that “Hectic gets his name
from his personality he is a hectic crazy nut and his guitar style is crazy
too, so hectic just fit.”
Kainan - (aka God ) the lungs of Graven Image. Founding member of the
band has been singing for about 12 or 13 years. Kainan is his real name. He
said, “We are going to take over the world.”
Wood
(aka The Liar…cause he promised me he would take off his shirt at the last
concert I attended…He did not!). Wood has been in the band for about 10
months and says he “brings up the back with the rhythm section with my
drums.”
Even on my website I don’t think we should discuss why he is called “Wood”!
We had seen Graven Image perform in Sept of last year and I noted a few
changes. They had incorporated makeup and a stage performance that gave them
a fresh twist. When I asked about the changes Kainan said, “Well I wanted to
put on a show. I also wanted to get my guys to let their true person come
out but on stage it is hard in a way for some people to let it all hang out.
But if you let the freak out you can put on a much better show. So I just
encouraged my guys to let the freak out. Let me just tell you that Graven
Image is just starting we have some crazy ideas for the future. I always
wanted to have a band that could let go. In the bands I was in before I
would try crazy stuff and they would stop me and say lets just be a normal
band of guys that just play their music. But we (Graven Image) have fun with
it. It is not a gimmick, it is just who we are on the inside, how we feel
more like our true selves. Plus it is always fun to play dress up. So people
need to stay tuned.”
The guys say they haven't even got started yet.
THE INTERVIEW
Losillë: How did the band get its name?
Kainan grew up with a very religious mother “when I was a kid she read a
passage in the Bible that said people should not worship Graven Images.” His
mom took it a step beyond the Golden Calf and believed that you shouldn’t
have images of any kind. She destroyed his sports cards, baby pictures or
pictures of any kind. He said that her actions had a huge impact on his life
forcing him to read, “the only thing he could do.” The Bible which he
considers a “history book” was not one of the things he read. His mom’s way
of thinking creating the person he is now and influenced the way he thinks.
Kainan felt “Graven Image” were the most powerful words he could come up
with, words that had meaning spiritually and mentally. It became the perfect
name for a band that was passionate. The band members had agreed that they
didn’t want a name that had no meaning. It is a powerful name with the added
meaning, “If you see someone gunned down that is a graven image, with a
twisted meaning to it. It just fit.”
Losillë: Who designed your logo?
Chris at Omega Designs came up with their logo and “it stuck.” Chris also
does graphics, signs and the art work for the Graven Image CD.
Losille: How or why did the band pick metal?
Kainan - “Metal is the funnest thing to play. It goes over the most raw
emotion and has the pure feeling of hatred, anger, or release or happiness
when you are screaming it.”
Wood - “Metal is straight emotion.”
Kainan added that metal it is primal emotion bottled up in a music format.
“I was always attracted to…you see a lion in the wild ripping a gazelle
apart and you hear its roar. As a vocalist there was something about that
sound that was just amazing.”
Hectic – It was everything he grew up on and loved in music. He has been a
guitar player for about 15 years and has been offered jobs in other bands,
but has never taken them. Hectic wants to do his own thing and “…make his
own product. This (metal) is what comes out of me when I write.”
Wood added, “Metal is who you are it isn’t just a form of music. Some people
think metal is just violent and it’s not true there is so much more….It’s
not like war, it’s not like that. It’s the wave of energy you get from the
crowd when they are doing a pit for your music. The energy you feel cannot
be described.” He has done a variety of music with other bands and he always
returns to metal. “It is the only kind of music where you can feel that kind
of emotion and energy from people.” He said that the difference between a
big metal concert and “stoner” concert is that, “you see a wall of death
where there is like a thousand people running at full speed and colliding
with this energy that just radiates everywhere.” They did add that the fans
are just as stoned at a metal concert they are, “…just not as passive as say
fans at a Pearl Jam concert.”
Spider - “For the bass it is just fun. I haven’t had any more fun playing
any other kind of music. It is just raw and ripping it to pieces. You can
have the most fun and be as fast and as powerful and as hard as you want to
be. “
Their love for metal fans showed. They agreed that the beauty of their fans
is that metal fans are all brothers in the pit. Metal fans may not know each
other but if one of them gets knocked down, there is always a hand reaching
down to help the person up.
Losillë: Who gets hit on most in the band?
Spider, the single one! I am sure
the wives will be happy to read that.
There is a very interesting story about a woman in Vacaville on the tape.
(This is one tape that I will keep for black mail purposes.)
Losillë: Who is the brain of the band?
Spider said he was.
Kainan said he was.
I left that alone.
Losillë:Who is the heart of the band?
They agreed that everyone in the
bands contributes to being the heart of the band. “Graven Image is driven by
its heart.”
Losillë: Who is the back bone of the band?
According to Spider, “That would be Wood or Hectic.” Hectic was deemed the
backbone of the band because he is the “biggest dick in the band.” He is the
one that pushes the band to do the most work. Hectic added, “And has the
biggest dick.” When the rest of the band thinks a song is being played “good
enough” he is the one that steps in and says it could be better.
Everyone in the band contributes his share to keeping the band on track.
Hectic is the backbone of the band in terms of the music with Kainan as the
backbone of the business end. Wood is starting to do some of the band
promoting and is the one you will find passing out flyers and inviting
people to the shows. Wood said, “I also drive all over the fucking place for
them.” (He has the truck.) “I seem to be the only one with credit as well.”
Spider brings in the younger crowd. He has a younger look and has the most
important job of bring, “the younger hotter chicks to the shows”.
Losillë: Who is the band liver?
That question brought an immediate cry of “Wood!” It seems most of his blood
is Jägermeister. Spider holds second place for being able to consume the
most alcohol.
Losillë: Who is the band stomach, can eat anything?
Again that was Wood. He was quick to take the title.
Wood has such an innocent look about him and the others felt it was time I
knew the truth about him. It seems that Wood is also the one the band to
find “the line” and cross it. The others described him as the nut in the
band. “There is not very much that Wood won’t do.” I pointed out that he
looks so normal. Spider explained it this way, “Wood is the kid in the back
of the class with the machete in his backpack. Wood is like the serial
killer you see on TV, he looks normal.” They pointed out that the crazy one
is never the one you think is crazy.
Wood tried to redeem himself
but the others refused to let him have the chance.
Wood explained that he is just a normal guy with at job. He said that he is
an iron man. That is actually his job title. I have a dirty mind so I
thought it sounded like a good job title for a man. To my disappointment it
turns out he works with iron balusters. He then explained his job to me; I
smiled and pretended I understood.
(I liked my job description better.)
Losillë: Who is the band penis?
They were confused and wanted to know what I meant by that. Kainan said that
Spiders penis is pierced and “gets the most action from different pussy
everyday.” I commented that people think that musicians live a life of
debauchery and apparently Graven Image is no exception.
Kainan wrapped it up by saying that to a certain extent they do live the
life of sex, drugs and rock n roll, then they go home to their families. The
flip side of their lives is being a dad, Little League practice the normal
stuff. The exception is Spider who, “pretty much gets ass all the time.”
Losillë: What would you like to say about Graven Image that I haven’t
covered?
“We are here to rip the world apart.” Graven Image is going for it all. They
are out to get to the top and do what ever it takes to get there.
Losillë: This is the most important question. When you become really, really
famous, who can I say I slept with?
Kainan: “All of us”
Losillë: “All at the same time? “
Kainan: “Two at a time.”
Kainan thinks I should become famous like the woman that took molds of rock
star penises in the 60’s. They were kind enough to offer to let me take
casts of them.
Very thoughtful of them don’t you think?
In October of 2005 they came out with a 6 track EP and are now in the
process of putting together a full length CD. The 10 song CD is tentatively
named “Out For Blood”. They are looking for an early to mid-summer release.
The Video for "Hands around your neck" will be available on their
website or you can purchase it at shows.
Listen to Graven Image on MySpace.