Tim Clark and Nerve No Pain drummer Branden Shores put together This Means You three years ago because “the metal scene was dead.” Clark says the band “got really lucky” when they found vocalist Kim Dylla who could scream as well as sing, and their new lineup has been solid lately. The band is putting the final touches on a new Kevin Murphy-produced CD that was recorded in the Pro Tools studio located behind Stacy’s Music. Metalheads can catch the band this Saturday night at the Outback Lodge. Unit F will reunite as openers.
Spencer Lathrop: Heavy metal?
Tim Clark: I have very eclectic taste. I grew up listening to Black Sabbath, but at the same time I was listening to Elvis, Prince and Jonhny Cash. Metal is definitely the most fun to play. I could make a Nickleback record if I wanted to, but it wouldn’t be that much fun. Tool is the greatest band in the world, and I hate to pick one, because I love them all, but if I had to I’d take Aenima. We also like some of the older stuff like Slayer and Metallica. Iron Maiden has been consistently good.
Ozzfest?
We were on MTV’s “Battle for Ozzfest,” and they told us that we were in the Top 20 of the 2,000 bands that entered. We didn’t make it, but it was not such a bad thing judging from how the program turned out. It was pretty awful. I go to Ozzfest every year no matter who the bands are. The best Ozzfest ever was 1998, with Ozzy, Tool, Megadeth and Motorhead. I got backstage that year because I knew the guys in Sevendust. Ozzfest has gone extremely downhill lately. There are a ton of bands and a lot of the new bands sound just like every other band. System of a Down is one of the only bands out there pushing the envelope right now, and a lot of people don’t consider them a metal band. There are very few bands that really change the sound of the music, like Pantera did when they first came out.
New records?
The whole band likes the two new System of a Down records that came out back to back, Hypnotized and Mesmerized. Devil-driver is a new metal band that is one of the heaviest. And quite possibly the greatest band of the past 10 years is a band called Dream Evil. And everyone should keep an eye out for the newly renovated version of No Gods No Monsters.
Things not known about you?
I am a legally ordained Reverend, with the Church of Spiritual Humanism. I went online and took a test, but I have yet to marry somebody. I’d like to start a Church of Heavy Metal. And the band are big fans of Robert Goulet. But, it has to be post-mustache Goulet. When he grew his mustache, his music really changed. We wrote him a letter and he sent us an 8’x10′ glossy that says, “God loves This Means You.” I have it hanging on the wall of our studio, and, of course, he has a mustache.