Sin Quirin 2 time Grammy nominated guitarist of Ministry and The Revolting Cocks has a new project in the works and was kind enough to tell us all about it!
GVM: Three Headed Snake is being met with much excitement. What prompted a new project?
SQ: It was not intentional. I had reconnected with the singer of my first real band when I was about 19 years old. We reconnected after not having been in contact with for 20 plus years. We started talking about the possibility of re-recording some of our old stuff just for fun. That was the idea that sorta got this thing rolling so the plan was just to re record a couple of our old tracks. In the process I had written a couple of new OLD ideas if that makes any sense so that is what got it rolling. He had some health issues and had to go into the hospital. He is fine now, but was not able to sing anymore. I had these songs and one night was on the internet *giggles* for some reason I clicked on this add for this singer who was looking for a project. I clicked on his link and saw a video of this guy singing and I was blown away. I reached out to him and that turned out to be Johnny Ray the singer of my project now. I explained the situation to him. He was on board for it because he has his own band and projects and stuff in Florida. So, I started sending him files of song ideas and he would send then back with vocals.
GVM: When did that get underway?
SQ: I want to say about a year to be honest with you are when we started. The last 6 months or so things have begun to sorta slow down and I kind of got back on that. Then, we released the name of the project, released the demo the song called “Wisdom Screams” then we released a demo teaser for a song called “Catharsis” and that is kind of where we are at. It started about a year ago and we hope to get into the studio in the next few months hopefully the plan is to have something released before the end of the year. We would like to do a music video and release an EP that will have anywhere from 3 to 5 songs on it. The plan is to have that before the end of the year. It’s kind of tough for me right now because one minute I do not have anything in the books and then all of a sudden my plate is full with Ministry stuff, so I am kind of waiting on a few things with Ministry and we already have some things booked, but I am waiting for the fall schedule to solidify. A lot of people got that and I was a little surprised to be honest with you. I have been telling people it is just a fun project for me it is something it is kind of the metal I started doing when I first started playing the clubs. I am not looking to reinvent the wheel. It is just classic power metal whatever you want to call it, Just having fun with it. I do not know if and when it will get to a live full band thing. I have thought about it and kicked the idea around. I have guys in mind for it if and when it does happen, but we are kind of just taking it one day at a time with it. First, we want to release a nice sounding product. I have been approached by labels that are interested in it, but I am not even there yet. I want to get a good recording. If something happens with a label then great if not then I will just release it myself and be happy about it. Having a good recording of these good metal tunes ya know?
GVM: Who is recording with you?
SQ: It is just me on the demos it is me doing the guitars, bass, and keyboards and drum programming. Then, Johnny Ray has been doing the vocals. So, literally it has just been me at my home studio doing the recordings then ending the music over to Johnny then he does the lyrics and vocals and sends them back. Then, I mixed them with what I have in my little home studio. But, it is just the two of us right now. As far as when we get to the actual recording studio to track the EP I might bring in a bass player to record bass, but I will probably do all the guitars and probably all the keyboards as well. As far as the drummer, I do not want to release the name, yet but I already have a drummer all set up for the studio.
GVM: Awesome! How would you say that your personality is reflected in the work in Three Headed Snake?
SQ: umm that’s a good question! It shows another side of my personality because that the few people that know who I am know me because of Ministry Ya know? That they see that side of me, but with this they are going to see a little bit more of the fun kind of *giggles* I do not know if people know, some people might, but I joke around and kid around 23 1/2 hours of the day. I do not know that many people know that side of me and my personality because some people see especially being in a band like Ministry I think they see images and when I meet people for the first time they say “WOW! You are a lot nicer than I thought you would be!” *laughter* I get that alot. It is weird for me because I know how I am. People go off the internet and the image. They see me with a bandana around my face *laughter* and uh maybe that looks a little menacing. Three Headed Snake will show my real sorta personality if that makes sense.
GVM: It makes perfect sense! Tell me who your rock heroes were as a kid?
SQ: KISS. That was the band that got me into playing. They were my first idols, influences. I was six years old when my cousin brought over “Kiss Alive” you know the first one? That was it for me. it changed my life and what put me on the path to do this. Yeah, I was Kiss obsessed! You do not even know my Kiss stories and history and all that stuff!
GVM: You spend a great deal of time on the road! So, I am going to ask you what is the BEST thing about being on the road?
SQ: The best thing is obviously the performing. That is, the best part of it. *laughter* because the other 22 hours can sometimes kind of suck. *laughter* That is, the best thing about it. Seeing the faces in the crowd and people just digging what you are doing. They go crazy for something that I wrote on my couch and seeing how it crosses all kinds of boundaries and roads. It is definitely the performance aspect of it.
GVM: That leads me to my next question: What is the WORST thing about being on the road?
SQ: The airports. I mean the band is just old and crabby now *laughter* there are far worse problems with musicians, but sometimes it is just tiring. The luggage, take this off, take that off and then you wait and flights are delayed and lost luggage that whole aspect is kind of a drag.
GVM: I saw a post earlier this year and you are a DJ as well?
SQ: Yeah! Yeah! I DJ all the time. I just did a DJ gig Saturday night in San Diego. I started Dj ing about 2 or 3 years ago. I am by no means a professional DJ. I am still learning how to do it. I have done DJ gigs all over the states, Mexico, and Australia. I did a DJ tour last summer, so it is something that is fun for me it keeps me busy when I am not doing a band thing. I try to get as many DJ gigs as possible. Usually I get booked at Industrial and Goth clubs or Fetish events, Fetish Balls. Those kind of events. So I usually spin industrial, Goth type stuff.
GVM: How much of what your write is autobiographical?
SQ: I do not write any lyrics. I write all the music. It does not get anymore real than that to me. Even if it is just the music and not lyrics that is me exposing myself. It is me one thousand percent. It is my way of speaking and communicating. Writing music is something that is personal to me so it is difficult sometimes to put it out there and to hear criticism often times I just hear bad criticism *laughter*, but it is what it is. It is something and I hate to use the term “artist,” but it is something as an artist you have to learn to deal with anytime you put your stuff out there you have to be prepared for all the negativity. You try to just let it roll off your back. Then, at some point it just becomes the process ya know? You know that when you put it out there you are going to get X amount of hate mail and people just starting shit and then there are the people that dig it! It just becomes part of the territory.
GVM: I read a wonderful quote today it said you could be the ripest, juiciest peach out there and there are going to be people who hate peaches.
SQ: Absolutely and I am juicy! *laughter*
GVM: What was plan “B” if Rock n Roll did not work out for you?
SQ: To be a peach! *laughter* Yeah, there was no plan “B” for me to be honest with you. Since I was 6 years old this has been my focus. In a strange weird way and I do not want this to sound like I am full of myself. I always somehow had this weird feeling that it was going to happen for me that I was going to make it. I do not know if it was just because the love of music was so strong that I knew that regardless of where I was that I was doing something that I loved. I think that is what ultimately gave me that feeling of knowing that I was going to make it.
GVM: Thank you again for talking with me today. We all look forward to the release of Three Headed Snake EP.
SQ: Thank you! The first Ministry Show is May 27th at “Blackest of the Black Festival” out here in Southern California. Then we fly to Greece and we will be in Europe for June then a possibility of doing something in July, but it is not set yet and a possibility of touring the states in the fall, but I that is all I can tell you about that!
Check out the teaser video “Wisdom Screams” below:
Sin Quirin / Ministry Online:
https://twitter.com/SinQuirinMusic
https://www.facebook.com/3HeadedSnake/
