Page 6 - Black Velvet Issue 86

BV86 pg06&07:BV86 pg06 08/09/2015 22:52 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 6

IN BLOOD
IN BLOOD

ttitude fueled rock ‘n’ roll is still alive and kicking - albeit a bit bloodied and bruised.
ACheck out BITERS, the Atlanta four-piece comprised of Tuk, Matt, Philip (ex-Stead-
lur, who we featured back in issue 60 of Black Velvet) and Joey. With their debut album
on Earache Records, ‘Electric Blood’, having just been released, we figured it was time
you sunk your teeth into this band. Black Velvet caught up with frontman Tuk for a blood-
stained Q&A where he tells us what makes his blood boil, how much blood, sweat and tears
went into the album and who he’d most like to suck the blood of.

Black Velvet: When did you first realise that BV: In ‘So Many Nights’ you sing ‘how ther ignore these signs and become stagnant
music was in your blood? many times must I bleed? I’ve been down spiritually and mentally, or choose to see the
Tuk: When I was a little kid. My mom was al- this road before’. What things have hap- connection between all the events you have
ways riding around with a plastic solo cup of pened to the band that have left a scar? brought into your existence. Those hardships
gin ‘n' tonic blasting the fuck out of Tom Petty T: Like many people, I've had a lot of let downs. make you who you are, but don't dwell on
and AC/DC. I mean, as loud as she could. I Sometimes life beats you down to the point them, learn from them and move on as quickly
would sit up front and bang my head and where you question everything... down to your as you can.
scream. I've always loved that rush of loud purpose in the universe. Taking a path of the
music and the feeling it brings along with it. musician sometimes you have to walk through BV: ‘Somebody let me out of the cage’ you
hell to get to greener pastures and for some sing in ‘Low Lives In High Definition’. When
BV: How much blood, sweat and tears went people along the way comes depression, drug you get on stage would you say you’re like
into ‘Electric Blood’? Was it a hard or easy use, violence, ruined relationships and self de- a lion out for blood? How savage are you
album to make, personally and profession- structive habits. Let’s hope we all make it to the on stage? What is most important to you
ally? other side. during the live show?
T: The actual album was the easiest to make T: You know to be a performer or entertainer
by far, it's the first time we've had a label to BV: In ‘Time To Bleed’ you sing ‘There’s no on stage, it takes a bit of ego. Some songs it's
help us with recording a full length. Now getting time to bleed’ and ‘the world won’t let me just nice to beat my chest and spray some ter-
to this point? That's a whole other story. Five be’. Why won’t the world let you be? What ritorial piss. It can get pretty aggressive during
years of DIY touring and scraping by to make do you need, or would you like, to ‘be’? a live set and there is a lot of physical and ki-
ends meet, while trying to keep your sanity. T: You know 'bleeding' is such a great netic energy coming off the band. I'm ready to
None of us could commit to jobs or careers and metaphor for pain or going through something hit the world stage and that line was my way of
we would come home and save a little bit of that hurts you. It can also mean your life force. saying it.
money working a shitty job, then head back out If you choose to play the victim in life or writhe
to play the clubs. We definitely started blazing in past regrets, then that will be your reality. I BV: Have you ever shed blood during a
a trail after a few years. Now to really start see- will never stop learning lessons or growing as show or on tour?
ing the headway and the progress makes all a being as long as I'm alive and the universe T: Of course. I have been knocked uncon-
the blood, sweat and tears worth it. is always spitting out bits of truth. You can ei- scious and cracked my head after falling off a
BITERS