Visit
SALVO
Last Edit/Update
02 April, 2000
Interview
with
Dan Kirkhus
of
Salvo
This Interview was conducted by
Mike Santarpia
in January, 1998.
Last Sigh: Where are you from?
Dan: New York
Last Sigh: Did you go to college?
Dan: We both went to Ithaca College.
Last Sigh: What was your major?
Dan: marketing and advertising.
Last Sigh: What bands did you like while you were growing up?
Dan: Lynard Skynard, Gary Numan, 80’s synth stuff. Pete was into metal bands Anthrax, Kiss, Slayer, Killing Joke -- he got me into Slayer.
Last Sigh: What bands do you like now?
Dan: Young gods, Clutch, Juno Reactor, Cubanate, Fear Factory, Clay People.
Last Sigh: What bands do you hate if any?
Dan: Hard core bands, industrial dance metal, definately, Metallica.
Last Sigh: What were your influences to want to make music and to start a band? What bands influenced you?
Dan: Pink Floyd influence, Young Gods, Gary Numan.
Last Sigh: What instruments do you play?
Dan: Live shows I am singer and bass player Pete lead guitar we both play keyboard and do programming.
Last Sigh: What other interests do you have besides music?
Dan: Graphic design 3d animation, I do all the graphics for the album except for the photographs.
Last Sigh: Do you like any other aspects of the music industry like engineering or producing etc..?
Dan: Engineering and mastering not much into the business aspects though.
Last Sigh: Is there anything you would like to accomplish in the music industry that you haven’t yet or anything you would like to accomplish in general?
Dan: Basically our label Smart Fist trying to get the record out into the public and overseas we are dealing with metropolis and middle pillar to help get distributed.
Last Sigh: Have you played with any bands before Salvo?
Dan: Bands through out college, I played keyboard didn’t really like it I wanted to do something more Pete also played in college bands we were in competing bands actually.
Last Sigh: How did the band meet?
Dan: Pete and I were in the same electronic music course in college.
Last Sigh: Did you have any other names in mind before Salvo? Why did you choose the name Salvo? What does it mean?
Dan: Punk Bot was our name when we made the demo and later changed the name because at the time Green Day and other punk bands were bcoming more popular and when we did shows people in the audience would be like Punk Bot? So we changed it to Salvo and it means simultaneous discharge of fire arms and it also has other meanings in other languages, in Spanish it means I salute.
Last Sigh: Do you have any other albums that were releases on other labels? Or is the one you are on currently your first?
Dan: We made a demo that we gave out that isn’t really available anymore. Smart Fist is our first label.
Last Sigh: Is this your own label?
Dan: Yes it is.
Last Sigh: What equipment do you use in recording the album?
Dan: The album was created using two Ensoniq samplers, a Tascam 4-track (for guitars, bass, vox), and a slew of analogue synths. We used a Mackie 1604 and a Sony DAT to mix.
Last Sigh: What equipment do you use when you play live?
Dan: It's the standard set-up... 2 guitars, bass, acoustic (and electronic)drums. Samples, synths, etc, are on a MiniDisc. Eventually, we'll phase that aspect out of our shows altogether, but right now it's a necessity. Pete uses a Fender Strat and a B.C. Rich "Bitch" thru a shitload of effect pedals. I use a Fender Strat and a $100 guitar thru a shitload of effect pedals. Tony plays either a TAMA kit or his electronic kit depending on the venue and who we're playing with that night. Abel plays whatever he can find, but he's been seen with Fender and Rickenbacker basses.
Last Sigh: How long did it take to record the album?
Dan: 427 yrs. Over a period of three yrs. 1994,95,96 and original demo songs were remastered basically wanted to get the album out as soon as possible.
Last Sigh: Which is your favorite song on the album?
Dan: track eight - "Virtue".
Last Sigh: Why?
Dan: It sounds really cool when you're careening off a cliff in a '64 Buick Riviera.
Last Sigh: Is that also your favorite song to perform live?
Dan: Not at all. It's been tough to capture the feel of that tune in a live setting... I'd say we may have nailed it only a handful of times. "Frogger" is a hell of a lot of fun to play live, as is "Guttersnipe".
Last Sigh: Why did you choose the name Cult of Speed for the album title?
Dan: Lyrics to a song that didn't make it to the record. It (the song) will probably find its way onto future recordings.. it's sort of a NASCAR mantra.
Last Sigh: What does modus operandi mean?
Dan: What was the killers MO, method or process of doing their crime.
Last Sigh: What is the story with Dionne Warwick is going straight to hell? Why did you pick that as a song title?
Dan: Waiting on lyrics had sci-fi channel on and the psychic friends network kept coming on and was basically pissing me off so used that name.
Last Sigh: Is your band on any soundtracks or compilations? No compilations we have done TV shows, MTV sports for kids maybe, some independent films. Were you ever asked to participate in any?
Dan: Never asked but would like to I am very interested in working on films, getting together with a bunch of bands doing remake of Pink Floyd The Wall we are doing run like hell and thin ice. Bile is going to be doing some songs some other bands also.
Last Sigh: Have you made any videos?
Dan: Nope, shot raw footage for frogger and planning to make video for new tunes.
Last Sigh: Where have you perform live?
Dan: New York: Bank, Pyramid, Brownies CGBG’s colleges: Rutgers, all age shows are more rewarding, the 15-20 year old crowd are more into it.
Last Sigh: What is you favorite city to play?
Dan: Potsvan, New York.
Last Sigh: Favorite venue?
Dan: The Bank had record release party there single best show that I feel we did had people lined up around the block. Pete also does sound there so it is one of or favorite places.
Last Sigh: What bands have you toured with?
Dan: Claypeople, Kill Switch Klick, Covenant, Hanzel Und Gretyl, Peace Machine, Demon Speed...
Last Sigh: Which was your favorite band to tour or play with?
Dan: Peace Machine, Clay People. A band out of Massachusetts called Chainsaws and Children, they are cool to play with and who I feel are true industrial.
Last Sigh: What is in the future for Salvo?
Dan: The new record, working for tour far west down south and over seas, video for songs on the new album.
Last Sigh: When can we expect to see another album?
Dan: End of the summer demo February 4-5 tunes, continue to work late summer no title yet 10-12 songs on new album.
Last Sigh: Do you see the band staying with the current label?
Dan: As long it works if it doesn't work out this album will always be a Smart Fist release up with larger label and also we got new drummer Tony Costanza.
Last Sigh: What do you think about industrial music in general?
Dan: I think it sucks. It doesn’t do it for me. The word is tough but I feel the Young Gods are truely industrial.
Last Sigh: Do you feel Industrial music is dead?
Dan: Not really there will always be that element that will work and develop and experiment in sound.
Last Sigh: Do you feel industrial music as a whole is recognized by the music industry?
Dan: Doesn’t sell a lot. It's not recognized by a large market, the general public is not buying it.
Last Sigh: What do you think about the "mainstream" bands like NIN, Marilyn Manson, Filter, Gravity Kills and Stabbing Westward?
Dan: I really like NIN and am into Pretty Hate Machine, [it] never left my tape player for a long time. [The] second album was good but got old never really got into new stuff, never really listened to manson.
Last Sigh: What do you think about MTV and the music award shows?
Dan: People are lemmings. The media is cramming these bands down peoples throats.
Last Sigh: Is there anything you would like to add to any of your fans or future fans who might be reading this?
Dan: Were are a hard band to nail down and appreciate all the people hangin’ in there hoping to get out and be on the road and we still like to play just to play will play for a six pack of beer.
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