PUPPET Interview

Puppet are one of the newer faces to sprout from Cleveland's overflowing independent metal scene. The group recently released their full-length debut, "The 10-96 Chronicles" and have been playing shows all over the Ohio area. The Gauntlet's J Ferret recently sat down with Puppet vocalist Dez to discuss the band's history, the new album, what it's like being an underground band in the Cleveland area, and much more.



The Gauntlet: How did Puppet form, when, where, etc?



Puppet: Puppet formed in early 1999 in North Royalton (suburb of Cleveland). Ken, Andy, and Bill (former singer now in Gemisuadi) were at a party and heard me singing along to some CDs. They asked me to try out for their then unnamed band and we jammed. 3 years, and a lot of headaches and heartaches later, here we are.



The Gauntlet: How did you decide on the name Puppet?



Puppet: Basically when we had our first show booked we still didn't have a name for the band. We all wrote a bunch of band names on notebook paper trying to find the right name that would fit us. We toyed around with a few names and Bill came up with Puppet. It was original and easy to remember so we stuck with it. Over the years though it has came to represent all of these artists nowadays that are "put together" by the industry. Not to say any names but we all know bands that are told what to wear, what to play, how to do this,that,or whatever and they are basically Puppet's to the music industry.



The Gauntlet: So Puppet is kind of like a middle-finger to those bands and towards labels that choose to shape bands to their liking?



Puppet: Yeah sorta, there is a great saying that goes "No matter what you wear on the outside, you are still the same person on the inside". So all 5 of us basically just do our own thing and really don't try to fit an "image" or "gimmick" cause most kids will catch on and realize that those type of bands are so clich? nowadays. We don't have time for all that glitter and glam. Puppet just makes good music.



The Gauntlet: So if a label had a million dollar contract and were willing to sign you but wanted to have your hair styled and dress you different, you wouldn't go for it?



Puppet: Of course I would, I would pull a Vanilla Ice, take the $$$ and be a little Puppet for a while. Then retire with my $$$ somewhere nice and have everything I want. You can call it "selling out" or whatever you want but I will sing Gospel music for a million dollars.



The Gauntlet: You recently released your debut full-length, The 10-96 Chronicles. It's an unusual title for sure, what exactly does it mean?



Puppet: "The 10-96 Chronicles" is a 3 year span in the life of Puppet. Some of the songs on that album we have been playing for about 3 years now while some are newer. 10-96 in itself is police code for a mental subject. So basically the title just means the tales of a mental subject if you want to put it literally.



The Gauntlet: Was this your first time in the studio, or have you had prior experience? How long did it take to record the album, and what are your personal thoughts on the final product?



Puppet: *Laughing* Actually this was our 4th time in the studio. The first was a little 3 song demo that we did and it sounded like garbage. I coulda recorded better on my boombox. The second time around wasn't much better. We just sounded like a jacked up version of Six Feet Under. The 3rd time we got into some financial situations so to speak with the studio and they never turned over our masters, so needless to say that was never released. Then finally the 4th time we found an awesome engineer in Brandon Youngs and a great mastering studio in Thomas Bethel and we were finally satisfied with the end result and decided to release it. The overall production I am content with. Obviously after hearing your own album for a while you can pick it apart and be like " I would have done this or that different" but I am really happy with it. Just learned a lot of tricks for the next album.



The Gauntlet: Any personal favorites off the CD?



Puppet: My personal favorites are "Dreamscape" and "Justice" just because they have the most personal meaning to me.



The Gauntlet: You write all the lyrics yourself, or is it a group thing?



Puppet: I write 99% of the lyrics. Some other members might give me an idea here and there and I have written with a buddy of mine in the past, but for the most part I write them all and they (the rest of the band) write the music.



The Gauntlet: Does writing come easy for you, or is it hard to make the songs perfect in your eyes?



Puppet: For me, I get ideas from hearing other songs, watching a movie, reading the Bible, or everyday life. It's easy to write shit lyrics like Limp Bizkit but I am real weird about my lyrics and it takes me about 2 months to actually finish a song to my liking 100% lyrically.



The Gauntlet: What do you write about, could you pick a few songs and explain what they deal with lyrically? I don't expect a whole song-by-song explanation, but like you said Dreamscape and Justice had personal meanings to you. Care to go into detail?



Puppet: Sure. A lot of my lyrics are Biblical in some sense. I am really into the darker side of the Bible. I am not a religious nut or anything like that, nor am I a Satanist. I just feel it's wrong for someone to devote their life to a religion and be led blindly. "Dreamscape", "Wyked", and "beLIEve" are all about religion and washing away your sins by going to church on holidays, and by giving God 10% of your earning for an offering.



The Gauntlet: How does the Puppet sound translate to the live environment? What songs are crowd favorites?



Puppet: Our sound goes over live real well because it is just raw energy and aggression. Everyone gets different things out of our songs. The crowd favorites now are leaning towards "U", "Justice", and "Reflections".



The Gauntlet: Is it hard to make a name for yourself in the Cleveland area?



Puppet: It's kinda 50/50. The fans are definitely here and there are a lot of hardcore kids that will come out and support the scene. On the other hand there are 300 metal bands alone in Cleveland so the competition is fierce. But with a lot of bands getting signed from Cleveland, it just opens up the door to those fans not being able to follow those bands as much and those fans checking out new bands.



The Gauntlet: You just recently aligned with Mushroomhead's former agent. How did that happen, and have you had a lot of label interest?



Puppet: We are just working with him as far as a career path. He works a few other artists and runs his own concert club "The Flying Machine". Mitch is a great guy and has given the band a ton of advise. We basically seek his knowledge cause he's been in this game for over 20 years. Plus the stories he tells of some bands he has worked with are hilarious....we haven't had a ton of label interest just yet because we haven't pursued it. We just recently starting shopping the album to labels.



The Gauntlet: Any particular labels you're most interested in being part of?



Puppet: I have heard horror stories of all the labels out there. Basically there are hundreds of labels. When we are approached with something we will look into the label that will offer us what we think is fair.



The Gauntlet: How would you describe the Puppet sound? I've heard it described as metal, yet a lot of people lean towards the hardcore style when listening to the album...



Puppet: I don't really try to describe it. Like you said, some people say it's hardcore, some say metal, some say death metal. I leave the descriptions up to the listener.



The Gauntlet: Now that the album is out, what are your plans for the summer and beyond?



Puppet: Our plans are to hop on a small tour this summer through the fall and then record this winter. But that is real sketchy cause there is always something that comes up and messes it all up, but that's our main goal at this point. *Smiles* Unless of course we get signed. Then we are just "Puppets" and will listen to the label.



The Gauntlet: Aside from Puppet, what types of music are you into? who are your favorite bands, favorite albums, etc.?



Puppet: I listen to a lot of different styles of music. As always, my favorite band is Pink Floyd. I have been listening to the new Poison the Well, "Tear from the Red" lately and a lot of hardcore and death metal bands.



The Gauntlet: Being an independent band, how has the Internet helped the band? Do you focus a lot of time into your website?



Puppet: Yeah, being independent, the Internet is our biggest tool. Obviously we don't have a big budget to help promote our album so the Internet is the cheapest way to reach a lot of people. We do spend a lot of time on our site which was just re-launched a few weeks ago, http://www.puppet1.com



The Gauntlet: Well I think that's about it. any last words or plugs before we wrap this up?



Puppet: Thanks for your time. Check us out at www.puppet1.com If you like what you hear buy the album. Tell people about Puppet. Word of mouth is the best tool. And come out to see us if we are in your town.

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Tags:  Puppet  , Dez, interviews

JFerret    November 30, -0001