Johnny Truant - Olly Mitchell
Posted on June 26, 2008 at 12:16 pm by admin
My story with Johnny Truant is slightly different than most of the bands I’ve become familiar with. The first time I heard about them was when my cousin told me that she saw them at a show, which she had a pretty fun time at. I never did get a chance to getting around to listening to them. Awhile later, a good friend of mine, Rory asked me to come to a show in Chatham with The Holly Springs Disaster, The End, Textbook Tragedy, and Johnny Truant. Hearing them for the first time got me sold!
After the set for The End, I found Rory talking to someone who just happened to be Reuben Gotto, one of the guitarists for Johnny Truant, and damn, that guy was a blast to hang out with, and he loved all the same bands that myself and Rory do! Reuben is in fact so cool that he keeps inviting us to a certain special event in other country with bands I love that basically causes me to melt every time he asks! With all that cool stuff about them, and the fact that their album, “No Tears for the Creatures” was just released recently, I was happy to get an interview in with vocalist Olly Mitchell.
Way Too Loud!: Since most bands love to talk about this, can you tell me what got you up and playing, and what your influences are?
Olly Mitchell: It was pretty much the chance to sleep with lots of women off the back of playing music I’d say that was the driving force. Jokes, jokes! I don’t know if I love to talk about our influences as they are just so vast and everyone in this band has such different tastes. I’d say we bonded over bands like Botch and Dillinger Escape Plan and that mixed with more traditional and classic bands like Led Zeppelin and Metallica, which all had effects on us. For us it was just the drive to make exciting original heavy music and I think Johnny Truant has always been successful in that way. We have always progressed with each record and challenged ourselves and our listeners. Oh yeah plus when you play shows you get a free case of beer, that rules!
WTL: The title for your recently release album “No Tears For The Creatures” suggests perhaps an animal exploitation theme. Can you tell what the title of the album means to you?
Olly: To us it’s more a case of the ‘creatures’ being humanity. This world is fucked. ‘No Tears’ is pretty much a testament to that. Our record is depressing as shit, but that’s metal isn’t it? (Laughs)
WTL: The songs I heard from your latest album are very harsh, biting, and stabbing, sort of like being stuck with shards of glass, yet have some very catchy melodies hanging around Did you manage to accomplish what you wanted by cranking those 2 elements up since your last album?
Olly: That’s quite the description! (Laughs) I think we have just matured as a band and developed on our sound. When we wrote “In the Library of Horrific Events” we weren’t really prepared, where as this time we had a mission statement before we opened the door of the studio. When you’re totally prepared for a record it means that the studio is so much more relaxed and that in turn gives you much more freedom to try out ideas. So we were able to push the melodies (if you can call them that) further and make the stabbing bits of glass …..stabbier!
WTL: How do you feel you’ve evolved since your last effort, “In the Library of Horrific Events”? I can hear the relation between the two efforts, yet I can also hear a sense of progression.
Olly: I guess I answered bits of that in the question before. We were just so much more prepared and added to that, it’s the first time we’d written as a five piece, which had a huge influence. It’s allowed us to explore different avenues and doors that we couldn’t before. We’re a lot more pissed off this time on this record and when we were writing it, we were pissed at each other. We were constantly failing out and hating on each other. I think that added to its nastiness. We wanted a fucking heavy, disgusting, challenging metal record, not some record for pussies. this record is for dudes with massive nuts and chicks who aren’t afraid to flash! (Laughs)
WTL: It currently looks as though you’ve got UK/European and Canadian support for the new album. Is there anything in the works to get some heavier US support, and support to other territories as well?
Olly: Yeah there are tours for all over the world, it’s just a huge thing to work out. We have lots of great announcements to make throughout the year so keep your eyes peeled!
WTL: How did Reuben get hooked up with Johnny Truant?
Olly: Roo actually used to be our tour manager when we first started out, which is crazy. We’ve known Roo for so long, and he’s such a talented player that his joining the band just seemed so natural. He is also addicted to cheese.
WTL: Did Reuben have a large effect on how the album turned out?
Olly: Yeah he certainly did! Writing as a five piece is totally different to doing it with four of you. He brought a bunch of his influences to the table but was always mindful of the Johnny Truant sound. He’s awesome to write with! Most nights we would drink shit loads of rose wine and wake up not remembering what we had done all night. Maybe that was why the album took so long…
WTL: What are some of the other projects that Reuben is doing right now?
Olly: Wow, you really do like Roo don’t you? Roo has been pretty busy with Johny Truant so most of his other projects have slowed down a little, but he certainly has a few! He plays in Sacktrick who should be seen to be truly understood! (Laughs) Twin Zero and Diary Of An Opium Eater all of them are fucking great! He’s a talented little sod! Oh, and he also does remixes, he just finished a fucking rad one for this band from the UK called Bossk
WTL: Who would you like to tour with who’s both feasible, but not obvious?
Olly: Touring with our best friends is our favorite thing to do although, it’s an obvious thing to say it’s totally true. Touring with AOF and the Cancer Bats has been some of the best times of my life. I’d love to tour with someone like Slipknot or some shit. Some big ass metal band! I think we’d dig that! Oh, and Feist!
WTL: Will Olly continue to scare young girls about his frightening stories of sexual prowess?
Olly: (Laughs) Am I that frightening? I dunno. I’m pretty damn sexy. I’ve been known to turn married straight men to mush when I speak. It’s hard being this sexy!
WTL: Bands always hate getting asked who they are, or what their band name means. Have you ever lied about your band name?
Olly: Nah, never lied about it. We love our name so why would we lie!? If you wanna know more about it read the book. It’s fantastic!
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