Tom Morrissey Interview
[wpaudio url=”http://www.rocknrollaccess.info/uploads/2010/04/Hammer_.Mix_6_Mastered.mp3″ text=”KILLCODE – Hammer” dl=”0″]
[wpaudio url=”http://www.rocknrollaccess.info/uploads/2010/04/Awake-Mix-4c-24bitWAV.mp3″ text=”KILLCODE – Awake” dl=”0″]
[wpaudio url=”http://www.rocknrollaccess.info/uploads/2010/04/05-6am-againm.mp3″ text=”KILLCODE – 6 a.m. Again” dl=”0″]
Rock ‘N’ Roll Access: Tell us about your band and introduce us to your band members.
Tom Morrissey:
Chas-Guitar/backing vox;
Erric Bonesmith -Bass /backing vox/jokes;
Rob Noxious -Drums;
Pat Harrington – Guitar/backing vox;
Tom Morrissey-Lead Vox
RNRA: How did you come up with the name of your band?
TM: When we were looking for a band name I came across the term, liked what it meant and could see the correlation to our music.
RNRA: What’s the meaning behind the name of your band?
TM: KILLCODE is a military term used to assess the total domination of a kill ..we hope to do the same with our music!
RNRA: How did you get started in singing, who influenced you?
TM: I’ve been singing/performing all my life. Started in church and digressed from there! 🙂 I was influenced early on by a lot of Motown and classic rock as it was always on at home. My dad was a big beach boys fan and hearing all those melodies and great pop tunes I’m sure helped my sense of melody.
RNRA: What inspires you to be a lead vocalist?
TM: My love for a good song that kicks ass, has a good melody/hook . I also feel most at home on the stage. It’s one of the few times I find myself totally in another place ..a damn good place too!
RNRA: What’s it like being the front man of a band?
TM: Like most things it has it’s ups and downs but the ups far outweigh the downs. Really it depends on the band behind you and I have a bunch of great guys behind me, so it’s pretty much a pleasure.
RNRA: Who are your influences musically and personally?
TM: As far as vocalists there are a lot – Joe Cocker, Roger Daltry, early Rod Stewart and Bono are some of them. Musically I tend to listen to classic / modern rock and old skool hip hop.
RNRA: Who writes the songs for KILLCODE and what are they about?
TM: It’s a total collaborative process and the songs are usually about life’s high and low points, the way to get to both and the party that ensues afterwards
RNRA: Which song do you enjoy most singing/playing live?
TM: 6am again -as it was the first song I felt we were onto something.
RNRA: If someone has never heard of your band, describe what it would be like for them to see you play live for the first time.
TM: We try and take the grit and leg spreadin’ attitude of rock/metal and mix it with the dirty grooves of southern rock while hitting you over the head with a high energy live show.
RNRA: What has been the most challenging part of being in a band?
TM: Seeing all the crap music/bands out there while there are so many great bands that no one gets to hear/see.
RNRA: What are your future plans for the band?
TM: To bring our music and live show to the masses…also possibly doing some laundry later tonight..shit is piling up!
RNRA: If you could be the front man on stage for one night with any band, who would it be and why?
TM: The Who ! why ?-Pete Townsend
RNRA: Tell us what you like to do in your spare time?
TM: Spare time ? What’s that ?
RNRA: Alright, we’ve gotta ask it, we can’t do an interview without this question. If you were stranded on a desert island with only one album of your choice, what would you choose to listen to?
TM: hmm ..depends on the day you ask me that! Today it’s Appetite for Destruction by Guns n’ Roses .Yesterday it might of been Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin.
RNRA: What’s in your CD player right now?
TM: The new Alice in Chains cd and Them Crooked Vultures.
RNRA: Any words of advice for aspiring singers out there?
TM: If you love it, keep doing it and once it stops being fun, stop doing it!
RNRA: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
TM: You can buy our two Ep’s “Taking It All” and “To Die For ” on i-Tunes and cdbaby.com. You can check out the band at www.myspace.com/killcode, our Facebook page, www.reverbnation.com/killcode and Twitter. Believe it or not, we actually read our emails and try to answer as many as possible. So keep spreadin’ THE CODE.
Thank you Tom for taking the time to do an interview!