Meet ‘What Great Fangs’ – They’re Cool as Pandas. Really.
Sometimes, usually when I’m procrastinating, I’ll take to twitter. On one such occasion, in a flurry of sarcasm and slight envy over those with better Halloween plans than mine – a fun spirited twitter conversation with a band I hadn’t heard of ended with them sending my the most adorable video of red pandas.
And that’s how this interview happened with a West Virginia metal band.
Who is answering the questions, and what’s your role in the band?
My name is Sean Calangelo and I am the drummer. I also do most of our social networking and booking. I run our online store and also handle most of our finances. If someone is posting on one of our sites or talking to a fan online, it’s most likely me. I may have more responsibility than most drummers, but don’t worry; I also get stuck driving and carrying equipment most of the time too.
How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard you?
Well, we classify our genre as “southern metal”, but when people ask me, I just tell them “southern intensity”. There’s no doubt Creighton’s vocals are at times very “metal”, but our roots are definitely more rock ‘n roll based. From day one, we agreed that we weren’t going to be a breakdown band. We build every song around a (hopefully) really original and catchy guitar riff. I suppose you could also say that we sound like Every Time I Die combined with He Is Legend. We aim to combine ETID’s controlled chaos and energy with Legend’s groove and finesse.
How did the band name come about?
Oddly enough, we didn’t even like the name until we saw it on paper. I had to do a business plan for a college class and that was the best name we had come up with at the time, so I just threw it on the cover page. After seeing it, we loved it. It was simple, easy to say/spell, and symmetrical. You could say it’s a spinoff of dialogue from “Red Riding Hood”, but our band is certainly not built upon that concept or anything.
How did the band first form?
Our ex-guitarist and I were in an indie rock band called Maritime Militia that met an abrupt and early demise. About two months later, he asked me if I wanted to be in a “southern metal” band and had already talked about it with our current vocalist, Creighton Hill. That immediately made me think of Pantera and they’re one of my favorite bands so I was all for it, but simultaneously reluctant because I still wasn’t over the disbanding of Maritime. Creighton and our current guitarist, John-Mark King, had been in several bands together throughout the years and were ready to finally create something that would last. We began jamming and writing in February of 2011 and played our first show several months later in May.
What does the future hold for the band?
We released our debut EP back in April and have been playing shows virtually every weekend since then. In fact, this nearly seven-month stretch of weekend tours just recently came to an end this past Saturday after going out with a bang and playing two shows in one night. We do have a few shows booked throughout November, but most of our focus is slowly shifting toward preparing for December 15 which is the date we’ll be entering the studio. Rather than cut another EP or full-length, however, we’ve decided to record a single that will be a free digital release. We’ve chosen this path in an effort to save money for a touring van, and we are actually going to look at a Dodge Ram Van this Thursday that we very well may buy! We have an amazing and hilarious idea for a music video to go along with the single, and we’re thinking of releasing a new shirt and DVD that will be exclusive, limited-edition online store items. Once we buy a van, play more shows, and save up some more money again, we’ll be going back into the studio in early spring to record the rest of the EP/album. After that, we’re hitting the road in our van all summer and taking over the world.
Who would you most like to share the stage with?
Well, we were fortunate enough to open up for He Is Legend back on October 19. They’re definitely our biggest influence, so it was a pretty surreal evening. I for sure think the boys would agree that it’s a goal of ours to one day share a stage with Every Time I Die. Also, I’d personally love to play with Once Nothing and The Devil Wears Prada and, ironically enough, they just played a show together at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh on Halloween night. I tried to get us on the bill, but they booked a different local band before getting back to me 😦 you don’t know what you missed out on, Smalls! We would have been a perfect fit for that show. Oh, well. Onward and upward!
https://www.facebook.com/WhatGreatFangs
https://twitter.com/WhatGreatFangs
http://whatgreatfangs.bandcamp.com/
http://www.youtube.com/WhatGreatFangs
http://whatgreatfangs.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacred-Sound-Recording-Studio/190489534321474
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