Micki McCargar of Eight Legged Horse interviews Krysta Martinez of Landmine Marathon & Transient
How long have you apart of a band? How did you fall into being a metal vocalist – is it where you started? Also, did you have any experience in music or singing/screaming beforehand?
I joined my first band almost 9 years ago. It was called Wall of Death. There were three screamers and they taught me to do aggressive vocals. I asked my highschool friend Hank – Life in Pictures (AZ) – for a few pointers. I’ve been doing it ever since.
What are the biggest changes between when you first started in a band and now? How have your expectations changed? Any new or different ideas about what it takes to be successful at making music?
It takes a lot of perseverance and flexibility. Sometimes you’re having a shitty day but you still play the set and give it your all. Sometimes your bandmate decides to quit to pursue underwater basket weaving or whatever and you have to figure it out so that you can keep doing what you love. I was more idealistic at first … having this monogamous idea of myself as a musician. Naively, I wanted to be in one band that I’d put everything into and that one band was meant to last a lifetime. I’ve shifted to a more polyamorous view … collaborating with many bands and many people in my experience is better than having a single outlet to focus all of my energy on. I really like having multiple projects to challenge myself in different ways. I like to listen to and play a lot of different kinds music.
What are some of your favorite bands to tour with, and why? What would be your ideal tour line up?
Touring with older bands who have toured plenty and know the ropes is awesome, but so is touring with new bands that are really eager. My ideal tour line-up would probably really confuse a showgoer. I, personally, am really into mixed lineups/bills. I like when thrashers, goths, metalheads, punks and hip hop kids are all in the same room together. There are countless bands and performers I hope to tour with in the future …too many to name.
What’s the biggest crowd/venue you’ve ever played? How did you feel when you got there?
Obscene Extreme America with Landmine Marathon was probably the biggest crowd I’ve played to. It felt amazing being in Mexico City with all of the bands that played … sharing a stage with Napalm Death and the people at the fest were incredibly hospitable. It’s a little bit indescribable how good the feeling was all along. I was really honored to be a part of it.
Recently, someone asked me how I feel about being a female in a “predominantly male culture.” I grew up around guys – never made a difference to me. How do you feel about it? Do you find gender ever making a difference in the way you experience metal, or in making music?
Ah yeah … some people make gender a big deal in music, but I feel like music has the capacity to nullify gender. I just finished a trade school to get into fields like carpentry and masonry … cultures that are also considered “predominantly male.” It doesn’t bother me being around a lot of dudes because dudes are kinda like chicks anyway. I don’t focus on gender much. I think anyone who wants to be playing music should play it no matter what other people think about it.
Thanks!
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