by Jordan Finn
Who are the members of Deathwish?
Kyle McClain - Drums
Tel Deadmore - Bass
Riley Haynie (myself) - Guitar/ Vocals
What was it that brought the members of Deathwish together? Love? Hate? Racquetball?
Deathwish originally started in 2016 as a recording project with no intention of playing shows. I wrote a bunch of songs (with Kyle acting as a producer) that we put up on band camp and that was as far as I ever planned on it going. It wasn’t until February of this year that we decided to take it more seriously so I wrote more songs and recruited a bass player.
What are you guys so mad about to make such a hullabaloo when you play?
Angry aggressive music just feels more honest to me. If someone told me to write a happy song I don’t think I could take it seriously.
Deathwish just released an album! Any reflections on that whole process?
I’m just happy people have been largely accepting of it. I took the entire song-writing burden upon myself with Kyle helping with structure and making drum parts that don’t suck. I am no drummer. I’m already looking forward to our next effort now that we have a third member in the mix. “In Blood” was basically finished when he joined so I want to get Tel’s take on things next time around.
Any hilarious/awesome/miserable moments in the band's history you'd like to divulge for the whole Internet to hear?
Our history book is pretty short right now. However we did just play a tiny house show in Missoula. Watching 30 people mosh in a tiny kitchen was pretty amusing.
How does the band feel about playing in the Billings scene?
We love it. We’ve been very welcomed and our draw seems to grow every time we play.
Deathwish seems to pull as much influence from punk as it does metal, do you think these two genres should work together more often?
I think they play well together naturally. The major difference being aesthetic. I’d never want to put myself in the box of one style. I pull as much from Slayer as I do from Nirvana.
Any bands or artists getting y'all hot and bothered of late (i.e. any really really great music you've heard recently)?
There is a band from the Lake Michigan area called God Alone. Their record comes out on July 20th and it seems promising from the singles I’ve heard. Also the new Deafheaven is the best record of 2018.
Who are you most excited to see perform at Dreyfest?
It’s always good to see the dudes in Snow Bored.
What should we expect from Deathwish for this year's Dreyfest? Will God be in attendance at your show?
Volume. I feel like God has bigger fish to fry, but if he wants to come kick it, he will be on our guest list right above John Mayer.
