Interview with Swampy from Swamp Donkey

Today we have a band from Birmingham by the name of Swamp Donkey, they are a heavy band with a new EP on the way, check them out!

Hey, thanks for agreeing to the interview . So, tell the readers a bit about yourself.

"We're a 4 piece rock metal band hailing from all over Birmingham. Ben Smith is the Singer and Rhythm guitarist, Rich Moss is the lead guitarist and our evil shredder of frets, Warren Bailey on Drums and Myself Swampy on Bass and backing vocals. Our ages range from 20 to 34. As say it like that because I can't remember 2 of the members age but it's in that time frame lol."

What kind of music do you play?

"We aim really for Rock/Metal as it's a genre we all love and agree on. Plus it's very strong on the music scene at the moment with some amazing local artists really getting themselves known."

If you could liken your band to another band who would it be?

"We are heavily influenced by Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera just to name a few. The vocals have often been compared to Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) and Whit Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), with my own deep backing growls trying to pay respect to my hardcore routes."

What things can inspire you to write a new tune?

"A lot of what we write is down to life experience n personal circumstances. When it comes to the music side of things and structuring, we all sit down n run through many ideas that we decide what fits best and sounds epic. When it comes to the lyrics Ben is very gifted in portraying what he has to say in to the lines and will often collaborate with me and share our experiences to get the finished product."

How did you all meet?

"I met Rich Moss through work, we both worked for a Care Company and met on a work course. We chatted and discovered we had a similar taste in music and played guitar and bass. We set up a Jam and hit it off straight away. We went through the usual line up changes every band has. Ben saw our advert for a singer/ guitarist and came down to audition. We hit it off with him straight away. Warren did a similar thing for the position of drums. We all discovered we had a very similar taste in the style of music we wanted to play."

I see you have a new Ep on the way! what kind of stuff can we expect from it?

"Yes, it's called "Time To Rise" you can expect ear explosions and sexual noise being delivered lol, we aim for it to be extremely powerful, diverse and eclectic. We try to move away from the main generic sound a lot famous artists cover, and try to make it more real with originality and style."

How do you feel the tracks you have released so far have done?

"They show a progression in ourselves. Our musical ability has moved on and our confidence has as well. Our style of writing and playing has become a lot more technical than it was when we first started out."

How do you think the new EP compares to some of the music you have made previously?

"It's the strongest we've ever been. Everything about it feels powerful and crisp. We've worked hard on this and have waited to deliver something we feel is special. We haven't settled on this and been back to the drawing board many times with the songs, scrapping and rewriting parts to make it work well. "

What musicians inspired you to start making music?

"We all have such a diverse background when it comes to inspirations but all agree on the skeleton that makes Swamp Donkey. I'd have to pay homage to Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Sabbath, Ozzy.. the list is endless."

Is there any music you listened to as a kid you still listen to now?

"Everything to be honest. "Master Of Puppets", "Ride The Lightening", "Cowboys From Hell", "Black Sabbath" were all mine blowing and timeless in my eyes. They never age and rarely leave my CD player as time has gone on."

Top 5 albums at the moment?

Too many but I'll give it a go

1. Metallica - Hardwired To Self Destruct

2. Lamb of God - VII Sturm Und Drang

3. Alter bridge - Last Hero

4. Iron Maiden - Book Of Souls

5 Hatebreed - Concrete Confessional

"I know not all of these are brand spanking, but they are pretty damn awesome"

Favourite Gig you’ve played?

"We've had some amazing shows and some terrible ones but if I had to pin point a great live show was last years "Xmassacre" Christmas show. It wasn't a massive gig or one that many people will remember, but for me personally it was a special show as it showed a new era in the band and we played with great confidence and respect for each other and the fans. "

What is the favourite track you have made?

"Easily for me it's "Stand". It's so powerful, heavy as Fuck and by far the most energetic song of our set list."

Favourite gig you’ve been to?

"Again too many to list. I love local gigs rather than big gigs. It's more intimate and you feel part of the show."

If you had to describe your music to someone who had never heard you before, how would you describe it?

"Hard, energetic, melodic, catchy, sexy and awesome. Old skill with a new skool vibe. "

Is there somewhere the readers can listen to you?

"You can get us on YouTube, Facebook, iTunes... the usual Social media and download and steaming sites."

How did you first start making music?

"A very rough Jam in a local studio that if we look back on now we wonder what kept us going ahaha"

Favourite local band at the moment?

"I'm going to give you 3 rather than 1. Without Grace, they are amazing, heavy, professional and awesome live show. Koncept, amazing live performances, heavy and energetic. Influens, Hungarian band that are just the dogs bullocks. Heavy as fuck and ass kicking metal. All our metal brothers and great mates too."

Any gigs coming up?

"March 24th we are headlining the Asylum in Birmingham. April 5th is our Metal To The Masses campaign. April 23rd we are at The Roadhouse in Birmingham. Other dates are being finalised around the country. "

How is the music scene down there in Birmingham?

"I feel it's at it's strongest. Birmingham has always been spoilt for choice when it comes to bands and heavy metal. Is the birth place of this astonishing music and always has artists and bands paying respect to this and keeping music live. With all the venues that have closed down over the years in Birmingham, places to play are few and far between but it's not slowing down or stopping the local talent coming through. It's an exciting time atm, with young and old bands all coming together to show what's on offer."

If you had some advice for people just staring up a band would would it be?

"Stick with it, find a group of friends that are like family. It's a long tough road and requires so much hard work, but the rewards are amazing. Keep fighting and keep working hard and "Keep Music Live""

Any Merch on the way?

"Yeah, tshirts and other merch will be available when the EP comes out."

When did you guys start making music together?

As this line up now we've been together around 12 months but we have had other members and have been a band for a couple of years now.

Thanks for chatting to us today, anything else you want to say to the readers?

"Thank you for taking the time to chat to me and everyone who reads this. Keep posted to our page for further updates for gigs and later this year our debut album release."