1.Hello Travis please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hello, I am Travis Weickum, Guitarist and founder of the band Skinned.
2.When did you first start listening to metal music and who were some of the first bands you listened to? Who are some of your current favorite bands?
I first started listening to metal when i was very young, with bands like Judas Priest, Slayer, Metallica, and so on.. then as music became heavier it was bands like Sepultura, Napalm Death, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Obituary and beyond.. and now today i listen to all kinds of bands from Gojira to Misery Index to Russian Circles, All Shall Perish, and many more.. but still just the the old stuff all the time too!
3.Travis I know Skinned was formed back in the 90's when you first started the band where you a big reader of fanzines?If yes what do you feel made a good zine?
Oh yes i absolutely was! the best part about fanzines for me was finding new bands! Those were different times back then without the social media we have today were it’s extremely easy to find new acts out there, back then you really had to network and search for new music.
4.What were some of your favorite fanzines that you enjoyed reading?
wow, I really have to think back here, that was ages ago.. lets see, Pit Mag was one of my favorites, Satan’s Handbasket i think one was called, man i would have to dig through all my old saved stuff to give you a list.. that would take forever haha
5.Travis you formed Skinned back in 1995 what gave you the idea to start this band?And who would you say are Skinned biggest influences?
Skinned was formed because there were a handful of us death metal fans in my town that wanted to play extreme stuff like the bands we were listening to. Our biggest influences i would have to say are most death metal bands of the mid/late 90’s. they all had a major roll in our driving this band.
6. Back in the mid to late 90's what were some of the bands most memorable shows and tours?And who were some bands you had the opportunity to share the stage with?
The first death metal show i went to was in 1992, Malevolent Creation, Agnostic Front, Cannibal Corpse and Obituary.. that one I will always remember! Another one i will always is Milwaukee Metal Fest 1999! in the 90’s we had the great pleasure to share the stage with many bands like Deicide, Napalm Death, Death, Macabre, Exhumed, Cephalic Carnage..to name a few.
7.Shadow Syndicate is the bands fifth release which will be released through Xenokorp Rec. how did you and the band come in contact with this label?
We connected with each other through our management. Glad we did because they have been nothing short of great people to work with!
8.Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member write everything?
Members will write skeleton songs and then the songs will be brought to life with the entire band weighing in ideas, that usually the basic process we work from.
9.Travis you handle the vocals for the band so I assume you write the lyrics.What are some topics you wrote about on Shadow Syndicate?
I am not the Guitarist and back up Vocals, But yes i did write some of the lyrics to some of the songs. This album we focused on conspiracy theories and secret societies. some of the topics range from Alien Abductions to weather controlling, 911, government concentration camps and so on…
10.The band recently made a video for the song We Are The End is this the first video the band has made?Why did you all choose this song for the video and how long did it take to the band to make this video?
That is the second video we have made, but first video off the new album. We shot that video in one day, the editing took longer than the actually shoot. We chose that song because we felt it would be a different sound from our older music and also the rest of the music on the new album.
11.Besides the upcoming release are the bands previous releases still available for the readers to buy?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise available for the readers if yes what is what is available and where can the readers buy it?
Yes, all our releases are available on iTunes and other digital outlets. We do have other Merchandise you can find from time to time available on our band camp store which you can find a link to on our website www.skinnedband.com
12.Are their any shows or tours planned in support of Shadow Syndicate if yes where will the band be playing? And who are some bands you will be sharing the stage with?
Yes, we are playing a few shows in and near Colorado for now, then in May we will be playing the Eradication Festival in Cardiff, Wales and Reykjavik Death Fest in Iceland. Then in July we will be on tour in Europe with one of my favorite bands but i can not tell you any more yet due to it not being announced yet.
13.Skinned comes out of Colorado's death metal scene I know back in the late 90's Colorado had a strong scene what is your opinion of Colorado's scene over the years?
Yes i did! Its always been a great scene for all styles, and such a great place with many venues to allow for all the bands to build a good scene! I think the scene here is just as good ,if not better, than it was in the 90’s.
14.Who are some of your all-time favorite bands coming out of Colorado?Are their any new bands coming out of Colorado you feel the readers should check out soon?
Of course Cephalic Carnage is at the top of the list for me. Allegaeon, Havoc, Khemmis, Vale of Pnath, Primitive Man and so many more i could list for hours..
15.Do you or any of the members of the band currently play with other bands?
I do not, I don’t have any time for other bands. I’ve tried it before but its not for me. All is spent on Skinned and personal life. A couple of the new members have other projects but the rest of us put all the time in just this one.
16.When not working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?
I like to do all kinds of things with the little amount of free time i have, like travel, golf, riding bikes, playing video games, go to concerts, movies… all normal life stuff i guess haha.
17.Thank you Travis for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
Thank you Patrick for your time and interest! my final words would be, on May 4th get your hands on a copy of our new cd “Shadow Syndicate” or get the digital download and come out to the shows and say hi! We love meeting fans and making new friends! Also, keep an eye out for more videos and be sure to catch us on tours near you! Cheers!
Band Contacts
https://www.skinnedband.com/
https://skinnedofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/skinnedofficial/
Label Contacts
http://www.xenokorp.com/
https://xenokorp.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/xenokorp
https://www.facebook.com/xenokorp
