(Photo Credit: Chris Murphey)
Which instruments do you know how to play and what one would you say you prefer to play?
I play bass, guitar, and banjo. I've been playing bass since I was 14 (I'm 25 now), started noodling on guitar when I was 19 but didn't play it seriously until I was 23, and I started playing banjo in 2020 over the pandemic. I don't really have any preference as long as I'm playing, but I'm definitely more comfortable on guitar and bass.
What was the first song you learned to play?
I think my first song I ever learned all the way through was probably either Last Caress by the Misfits or The Trooper by Iron Maiden. Both those bands were my favorites growing up and I wanted to make music like they did!
Who are your musical influences?
For bass it's definitely Mark Stroemer of the Killers, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Geezer Butler from Sabbath, Larry Graham of Sly and the Family stone plus his solo stuff, and Marcus Miller. For guitar it'd be Stephen Carpenter from Deftones, Daniel Donato (session country player/solo artist), Sabian from Alpha Wolf, and too many of the 80's rock/hair metal shredders to list!
Where is your favorite venue to play and why?
My favorite venue would definitely be Skylark in Rock Island, IL! The staff there is so sweet and it's got a nice vibe to it (it's a church converted into a venue). The sound there is always top notch too. Honorable mention would be The Warehouse in La Crosse, WI. It's a sober/straight-edge venue that has a soda bar with a giant selection and their sound system is dope too. However, that place has too many stairs and the load-in always sucks there LMAO.
To make a good musician what are a few good qualities should one possess?
I think a good musician is somebody who's willing to put the time into independent practice and rehearsal as well as someone who's able to do a little bit of everything as well as adapt and pick up quickly. Stage presence and comfort in front of an audience is also a major one and having some sort of platform online like TikTok or Instagram is also a nice plus. Having a good attitude is also absolutely essential.
What’s your motto or some good advice that you live by?
As far as mottos go, my favorite motto I coined with my long time friend and bandmate Austin Korth would be "Eat ass, shred fast, drink baja blast" LOL! As far as advice, I'd say you have to be willing to just throw a bunch of shit at a wall and see what sticks. With TikTok (my main platform), the algorithm is forever changing and you never really know what type of content it's gonna prefer next and how you can make it into your own thing and match your niche., so you're always going to have to just try a bunch of video formats and see what works. With music, my band Crimson Clean Sweep has gone through numerous sounds and aesthetics in the 2 years I've been with them and we've found people respond very differently to certain things we've tried. My other piece of advice is to have perseverance. Playing music has a lot of high points but also a lot of low points and you're just going to have to learn how to handle the constant rollercoaster it takes you on and keep yourself going. For example, my other band Toxic Messiah has had a revolving door of members (mostly drummers) that has stopped and slowed us from progressing. It was a rough year having to decline or pull out of shows and push back music releases from the member switch outs and all our lives having things happen, but we all have so much faith in what we're doing that we just kept persevering throughout all our own personal crises and member rotations.
You’re driving to a concert, what 3 songs get you in the mood for moshing?
For three mosh picks, I'd go "Gored" by Loathe (seen them twice and I'm seeing them again next year), "Disdain Coupled With a Wide Smile" by SeeYouSpaceCowboy, and "Holy Roller" by Spiritbox.
Where can we find you?
You can find me in a lot of places! I am a content creator on TikTok and my username is @ColeSwank. I play guitar in Crimson Clean Sweep and we're releasing a new song called Weeprs on January 27th! I play bass in Toxic Messiah and we have a single out called Shell Shock! You can find me at these links below!
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