Interview with Three Sixes

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? 

Damien- I loved what the blend of Metal and Hardcore Punk had become- Thrash. I loved the energy at that time was literally electric. The aggression was insane. It was equally uncontrolled as it was controlled on the floor. If you were there, you would know. I loved it and wanted to be a part of the reason why people would react the same way to something I created. Without it? I’d probably be some guy that had 2.5 kids, became divorced and married again, haha.

Blake - I have been around musicians since I was born, and gravitated to drums straight away.  I started taking drum lessons at 9, and then at 12 I started actually having fun playing songs, and from there I really dove into my parent’s music collection and learned about a lot of different bands, and got band recommendations from friends that expanded my appreciation even further.  Without music, I’d probably lean much more heavily into my computer science education, focusing on building a family earlier, and likely be driving a Lexus. 

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Damien- Spending time with my woman, friends and family, love my dogs, drive my ’68 Mustang, watch the NFL, horror movies and documentaries. As far as creativity, it comes from everywhere. Lately, it’s been life in general and the news. On both sides. Right and left, of which forms my current opinions.

Kill - Guns, guitars and Jeeps! Strength training, and hopefully getting my ass back into MMA sometime this year. 

Blake - I still have my day job in software testing, and I like spending time with my girl friend going out adventuring and discovering new places around town, as well as building up a side business together.  My biggest guilty pleasure is following politics, because it really doesn’t add much to my life to know every little thing that’s going on, but I get caught up in the dramatics of it.  That definitely has an influence on the lens in which I view the world, and it does come up in the art that we make.  Many themes in this album stem from global issues we’ve all observed, but then the follow up is wondering what actions we can actually take, so I try to encourage positive lifestyle habits and mindset to better equip us to deal with and rise above the constant barrage of negativity that can so easily consume people. 

How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.

Damien- Since 1999. Three Sixes was just a “side project” I started when I was looking for another band to join. Amazingly enough, several amazing players came through and contributed into something I never imagined. It grew into what it is today. I never could have predicted what would happen, but I’m equally as excited as I’m humbled by it. Friendships and Craig’s list/Recycler ads would bring us together in the beginning. After that, we tried running ads online, but it wasn’t happening. Then it became word of mouth and here we are today.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

Damien- We are based in Southern California, not far from Disneyland. As a former skate boarder, it’s what I grew with. It’s what I listened to while riding and was a big influence. Punk was huge then and I was more than cool with it, but at that time, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest ruled my world and from it, came my other influences which would be followed by Venom, Slayer, Metallica, Sex Pistols and many others.

Blake - I’m also born and raised in Southern California, and the benefit of living next to LA is that most bands tour in our area, so there’s always a show that we can go see to refuel some of that excitement of creating music.  However, LA is exhausting and stressful to be in, so it’s not an adventure I’m always willing to take.  Whether I’m seeing a show or playing a show, the time on stage is absolutely amazing - everything surrounding that is miserable.  

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Damien- The name “Three Sixes” was actually the name of a song I wrote lyrically, that I had no music to, long before I started the band. It was just an idea. When I started this “project” I needed a name. I thought it was cool and went from there.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Damien- There are literally too many to list. If there is one in particular, it was at The Key Club in Hollywood when we were in direct support for Body Count. That’s me, bottom left:
https://threesixes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Three-Sixes-Band-Photo-0009.jpg We also have a lot of other pics of great shows over the years at https://threesixes.com/photos/

Kill - I’ve enjoyed going on tour and meeting bands from each place we perform. Made some great friends along the way, and hopefully we look to cross paths again with many of them.

Blake - I was a part of the last two tours, and each of those had great moments with some great people.  You kind of just go into survival mode and the whole thing becomes a singular experience, so it’s hard to pinpoint specific shows, but I appreciate anyone who went to those shows and anyone who shared the stage with us.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Damien- Locally, I like Stages where we played a few times. We had some great and not so great shows at The Observatory (formerly The Galaxy Theatre). There are others too, but COVID killed them off. Where do I want to play? Anywhere outside of the USA. Don’t get me wrong, I love my country, but to play our music outside of it is something I’ve never done and would look forward to doing if the opportunity presented itself.

Blake - All the shows look largely the same behind the drum kit, but if I’m able to see engagement from an audience, anywhere is a good time.  

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Damien- This is a loaded question, haha! Off the top of my head? Slayer, Black Sabbath, Agnostic Front, Suicidal Tendencies and Strapping Young Lad. That would be sick, even though we did play with SYL once before. Doing it again wouldn’t suck.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Damien- Now more than ever, “You better do this because you love it more than life itself and that is the ONLY reason you’re doing it. If you don’t have thick skin, don’t even start. You’ll get eaten alive and nobody will care”. Followed with: “If you wanna go down this road, even if you have an incredible work ethic and dedication, you still will need some luck. That said- get a day job that can pay your bills and allow you to tour when it’s possible”. Real Estate did it for me. Other venues also exist. Get ready to sacrifice a lot of your personal life and money. Unless you’re a trust fund baby, nobody who ever “made it” did so without risking it all. It can be scary. Even more so now that record sales can’t keep a band alive like it used to, but that’s a different discussion.

Blake - Learn the business side of things.  It’s boring and tedious, but essential.  A band is a business and needs to be treated as such.  Also, network your ass off.  Learn people skills and learn to connect with everyone around you, and while everyone will appreciate and support you because of it, certain people will grant you opportunities you never knew you needed.  If you think you “don’t need anyone else”, you’ll ensure your own failure.

Kill - My bandmates really nailed a lot of brilliant points. I’d add - write for your growth, not for your vanity. Sounds silly, but I like it.  

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? 

Damien- Although I’ve never had kids, I look at each tune like one. At some point, each has been my favorite. I was with my girlfriend yesterday and she opened Pandora and it went to our channel. I heard “Soul Destroyer” from our last record and just went “This song RIPS” haha! I really don’t have an actual favorite. It’s a mood thing for me. As for this moment now as I write this and since you’re asking, I’ll say “Call Me The Devil” for the same reasons Kill and Blake chose it as the title song. Lyrically, it’s pretty much all encompassing of the messages in general all of the songs collectively convey.

Kill - The bar for which I judged the new material was held up by “Know God, No Peace”, the title track from our last album. I always looked at that as my magnum opus, in a way. Love playing “Saint”, “Arch Enemy”, “Unit 731” and “Salvationless” from the catalog. For the new material, I’m curious how it will hit with the fans while on tour. Our current singles, “Welcome To The New World Order” and “Reject Control” really peak on my list.. Our next single dropping on January 21st, “Unflawed”, is one of my absolute best from a perspective on how a song flows. 

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Damien- Two in particular: “Holy Man” from the self-titled CD and “Arch Enemy” from the “Know God, No Peace” disc. I think “Welcome To The New World Order” and “Reject Control” will be next. Probably “Call Me The Devil” as well. “Holy Man” and “Arch Enemy” went off everywhere we played. They were no-brainers. Because we dig what we do, we’d change the sets up from night to night to try to rotate as many others as we could through.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Damien- With the exceptions of “IndoctriNation” “They” and “Anti-theist”, the music to this record was all Kill and Blake with the riffs and arrangements. They would send the demo tunes to me and I agreed with everything. Those two hit an amazing stride and I wasn’t gonna get in the way because I agreed with it all. It was really cool. After each came my way, I confirmed the arrangements, subject matter and wrote the rest. As stated before, life, movies, the news, and documentaries inspired it from my end.

Kill - The guitar parts usually follow suit to compliment one another for whatever is inspiring me at the time. I’m not necessarily a “hey, let’s write parts and just see if they go well together”. I need the flow to be on the level with the power of each verse, bridge, chorus and the hook I hear in my head. I try to write with the potential of my bandmates in mind, too. Feeling different areas of space, or maybe something dynamic that requires high intensity on the delivery. 

Blake - Generally, I got riffs from Kill, and did my best to capture the attitude I thought he was going for, while pushing the boundaries of how much technicality and speed I could get away with.  We’d go back and forth until the right attitude was met and we liked what we had before sending it to Damien for any further input, and he had a few key suggestions that helped fine tune the final results.  As for inspiration, I just want to make huge, bombastic music that gives people adrenaline. 

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Damien- Pretty simple for me on this record. Think for yourself, be strong in your convictions and never back down because there will always be an opposition. Prepare for it and destroy it.

Kill - That no belief or narrative is the end all, be all. Question authority; be observant and vigilant. Don’t become complacent and obedient. 

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

Damien- Yes, we have two singles out on YouTube as of now. The first is “Welcome to the New World Order” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ne6_qSD6EQ 

and “Reject Control” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMIO04fXYWI 

Another one will drop soon called “Unflawed”.  Stay tuned for info 

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Damien- Release the singles, see the responses and weigh the opportunities available from them. The current US economy has caused bands to drop from tours. We don’t want to be one of them. So at the moment, It’s literally a “wait and see” situation.

Kill - Something that is helpful: fans requesting us through their local or fave online hard rock/metal station. Stream the fuck out of the new songs. Opportunities arise from the demand. 

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

Damien- We have a massive website at https://threesixes.com/ that’s got every link you can think of and then some. News, iTunes, Insta, FB, YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and many more. Kill keeps up with the socials and we have an emailing list that’s pretty cool where we give info before it hits the socials and even before our own website. We are literally everywhere. If you can’t find us, you didn’t look. If you do look, I think you’re gonna dig what you see and hear. Thank you for the interview.  Thank you all for reading this and following us. We appreciate you more than you know. Hopefully we see you sooner than later.
 
https://www.instagram.com/threesixesband/ 
https://threesixes.com/media/video/ 
https://www.youtube.com/threesixesband 
https://www.reverbnation.com/threesixes 
https://open.spotify.com/album/0oLFQ2ZH7OyAz77CAJeE4F?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open