Exclusive Interview with Bill Skudlarek: -guitarist/singer/frontman of the Band Squilax Blade from Vermont (USA).

Maximillian_Graves: Because of the factthat the only thing I know about you guys is that I like yourmusic, and I know
that you are from the New England state of Vermont(USA). Pleasecan you give the people a
deeper look into your band's history?

Bill Skudlarek: Well, Squilax Blade started back in 1995. A mutual friend introduced me (Bill Skudlarek: ,guitar/vocals) to Wayne Cossette (drummer) and when we met , I believe his exact words were,"OK...let's hear somethin'. Show me what ya got."I believe I played a version of Hendrix's Version of "KillingFloor'. We immediately hit it off. Wayne is originally from Massachusettes and I'm originally from Connecticut, so, it's still amazing to me that both of us bein' "city boys" actually met in this laid back state. The both of us started gettin' together just to play....never thinkin' of havin' a band. But...we eventually got the urge to have other people hear us. So...for like a year and a half we played out as a 2 piece band, drums and guitar, with me on vocals extensively. We got a dude to sing forus named Tony Raimondo. At that time we were playin' out as"IMMORAL MINORITY". Tony's vocals were extremely limited. And when he started comparing himself to Jim Morrison, we decided to end the "IM" band. We did a few gigs andfigured out what we lacked were convicting vocals and that whatwe were missing was the low end bass. So....within' a year we found our selves a bassist named Chris White. We honed our skills and got hired for a few shows. The best was one we did in New Milford, CT at their teencenter. We got to play with bands like "Blood Has Been Shed" and another called "Candiria" (they we fresh off the SLAYER UK tour). We got laughed at when people heard we were from Vermont....but the laughs faded quickly as we started playin'. We got a double encore and a killer "shout out" from Blood has Been Shed. We then went into a local studio and decided to do a CD. It was called "Crawl to the Surface". Our only regret on that one was that we spent more time worrying about being radio friendly and what people would think, instead of just playin' what we wanted. We won the local radio contest 5 weeks in a row. It was a listener call-in voting thing. We beat out band's like Kid Rock, Fear Factory, Sprung Monkey and D-Generation. So we accomplished our "radio airplay" fix. Chris White left the band suddenly. He was worrying about the metal "image" instead of what he was supposed to be playing. We then tried out another bassist called Corey Cook. This guy fit in like the gearw e needed. And he's still with us to this day. I dont believe he'll be leaving anytime soon. The choice for another vocalist was tough. I did all the vocals myself but I wanted to step away from the mike for a while so I could concentrate on my guitar playin. We got Corey's friend John Huntley to try out. This kid was rough at first, but, he's doin' very nicely now. So...we have the "BLADE" soundin' the way we want now!



Maximillian_Graves: It would be great if you would give us a small overview of the members of your band. Tell us about theircareers as musicians, what other interests and/or hobbies they have in addition to making music, and what they did before they began playing music.

Bill Skudlarek: I began playin' guitar when I was around 11-12. I'm 37 now...so...I've been at it for a bit. I used to jam in the local area as a solo artist for a long time. I was always lookin' to form a band ever since I could remember. I used to be a nursing assistant and did more jobs than I care to list. My drummer Wayne used to be a hip-hopper. Yup...the flat top hair do, hopper shirts...the whole deal. He also used to do lighting and sound for local bands in the Boston ,Mass. area. (Like the band EXTREME) He always wanted to be on the stage side of the music instead of the sound board. The drums just seemed to come natural for him. And when we got together he told me that no other guitarist ever gave him a workout like I did to him....hehehe.O ur bassist Corey Cook has been musical for many years. He's alocal Vermont dude who was more into the alternative scene and never really thought he'd be a "Metallian". He listens to lots of tunes. And he's always workin' on his playin'. He works at a place in Royalton,VT called Village Pizza, and is counting the days til we get arecord deal! LOL
John Huntley is definitely the "Free Spirit" of the band. He's a partying dude. He was always wantin' to be into music. He plays guitar also....but not in the band. He's a cross between Pantera and Morrison if ya ask me. And ya neverknow what he's gonna be singin', which keeps the element of surprise up there.



Maximillian_Graves: About your lyrics......how important are they to you? Do they stand on their own, or are they more or less just another instrument? Tell us how important your lyrics are to you personally. How strong is your desire to tell people the story behind the music?

Bill Skudlarek : Our lyrics are pretty basic. Life, death, feelings....stuff like that. The lyrics are a difinitive vehicle for the oppressed feelings of hate and disgust that all of us have. We're not a political band and we dont try to write a song that will shock people. Although some people find our lyrics offensive and too true, that's just too bad. Our opinion is,"We're playin' what we want, and sayin' what we please. We dont wanna be commercialized or labled. If people like our music then listen to it. If not...then turn the thing off.The final choice is up tothe listener.



Maximillian_Graves: As always, we here in Germany would like to know who your idols and favorites are. And who the band gives credit to as major influences. And more importantly, are you into any German bands?

Bill Skudlarek: Our band has a list of musical influences. Such as SLAYER, older Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera, Testament, Primus, Nirvana, Ted Nugent and my favorite guitarist, Jimi Hendrix. You can definitely hear his influence on my leads and some of my bluesy playin'. He was and still is the best in my book. As for any German bands...there's one in particular I'd like to point out. The band called "ACCEPT". Their playing and style of lyrics definitely are insane and impressive. I still have some of their tapes....my favorite being "Balls to the Wall". When I hear that song I picture us being on stage just giving the feeling of hate to everyone to distribute freely!!
They kick fuckin' ass, man!!



Maximillian_Graves: Give us a brief overview of the metal scene in your area. What is your scene like? Which style of metal ist he most common for bands from the Vermont area?

Bill Skudlarek: The metal scene in our area is still new. People hear the words "Heavy Metal" and say, "OH... that's not my style."...But when they come to a local party and see us play they want CD's, tapes, and they always want to know how to get a hold of us to hire us for a gig. We've shocked the hell out of people around here. People are still into Metallica and the heavies. But SQUILAX BLADE is listed as the 1 metal band in our state. so.....we must be doin' something right.



Maximillian_Graves: Tell us what your live performances are like. Do you only play local shows? Or are you playing outsite of Vermont too? Has the band supported any of the "big acts" already?

Bill Skudlarek: The shows we play are varied. But usually there's tons of people watchin' us play. What amazes me are the amount of girls who like our stuff. Our last show was a house party and we had girls moshin' out with guys. I think the world is gettin' sick of the boy bands they're seein'. I also believe that the crowd speaks for it self. We seem to be gettin' good local reviews and people definitely know the name "SQUILAX BLADE" around here. The biggest trip was lookin' on the site MP3.com and seein' that this band called "ZENSOR" from Oslo, Norway linked them selves to our band's mp3 site . They also stated that they practice our song "Back In The Day" at rehearsals and shows. It's a fuckin' blast to know that a small band from Vermont is actually makin' waves as far away as a place like Norway!!!

Maximillian_Graves: What does the future hold for Squilax-Blade? Any future plans in the making? Tell us what you are planning for your next CD release! What direction will your next record go? Any changes to your sound or style in mind? Or, will you keep your current sound and style, and strive to improve upon it as the band gains more experience?

Bill Skudlarek:   The future of the band is still fresh. We just planto play as many shows as we possibly can and have fun doing it. Spring and summer are on the way and that usually brings lots of people around and the gigs are plentiful. We consider ourselves still a garage band. But we've been up on the mp3 metal charts along with band's like Alice Cooper, Metal Church, King Diamond and more. And it's nice to know that our lil' independent band beat acts like Kid Rock and Fear Factory on the radio. Our next step is to get into a studio and lay down our new sound, which we've already done in our home recordings. We're in no big hurry though. We're still havin' fun and you can count on seeing the"SQUILAX BLADE" name around for many years to come!

Maximillian_Graves: Thanx for this great Interview! Last but NOT least you can use the last lines of the interview to talk to all the readers from Germany and Europe and tell them what ever you like!

Bill Skudlarek: We just want to thank all the fans . Locally as well as world wide for listening to our tunes and makin' SQUILAX BLADE what it is today...a moshing force for all metalheads. And a special shout out to the country of Germany for reckognizing that metal is alive and well all over the world!
Peace out,

Bill S.

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