Priestess Interview: SXSW 2010

Canadian rock quartet Priestess is one of a slew of au courant bands reconfiguring classic '70s sounds. With ages ranging from 28 to 32, the foursome -- Mikey Heppner (vocals/ guitar), Dan Watchorn (guitar, backing vocals), Mike Dyball (bass) and Vince Nudo (drums, percussion, backing vocals) -- had previously only played in bands with little more than local notoriety. Then they formed Priestess in 2003 and the chemistry clicked. The Montreal-based group's recently-released second album, 'Prior to the Fire,' brings together prog, pomp and classic metal riffs for some good ol' no-nonsense heads-down boogie. Watchorn dialed up Spinner in between a European tour and the band's trip to SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Super fun.

How did your band form?

Mikey dropped a demo off at my place and I loved it. He had heard that I had played in a band before and knew I wasn't playing music anymore. So, he grabbed me and the two of us were on a crusade to find other members. We discovered Mike and had one audition with him and that went well, so he was on board. Mikey had seen Vince playing a show and knew that we had to have him in this band to make it complete. He knew that Vince was the final piece of the puzzle. So, that's kind of how it went. None of us had met before. We've been together six years, believe it or not.

What are your musical influences?

For me it would have to be country music and folk music. We're all over the place. The Melvins are my favorite band.

OK, well that makes sense ...

Townes Van Zandt is my favorite songwriter, but the Melvins are my favorite band. Mikey is a huge fan of prog rock, but to pigeonhole him into that one genre would be crazy also, because he listens to so much music. He definitely brings the Yes and the Gentle Giant elements to it. Vince is a huge John Bonham fan and a huge David Bowie fan, but if I left out Thin Lizzy he'd probably kill me. Then Mike is a straight-up rock fan, an old-school trooper. He likes Bruce Springsteen and the Cult. He's seen the most stadium rock shows out of all of us.

How did you come up with your band name?

At first, we were called the Dropouts. Mikey had a lot of pop-y punk rock songs initially and as we all got together, the four of us developed our sound and it didn't fit that name anymore. So, we came up with some options and Priestess stuck. What actually happened was that we had a show booked in New York City; it was our first show there, four or five years ago. Our manager was like, 'Okay, on the billboard what are we writing?' We hadn't completely meshed on the idea of Priestess, but he just said, "You guys can't make a decision, here it is. Now you will be Priestess." Sometimes we show up at shows and people are like, "I was expecting you to be an all-female Judas Priest cover band."

Perfect! What's your biggest vice?

I watch way too many movies, sometimes three a day. I have to hold myself back from doing more. I will watch all kinds of movies, but I am a huge horror fan, including garbage horror. We were just on tour, which is very difficult for me because I don't get to watch movies when we are on the road, so when I get back I have to stuff my face full. It's kind of like an eating disorder. I just watched 'Zombieland' and I thought that was rather fun. Bill Murray made my day. One of the most genius lines is comedic history is "Do you have any regrets?" "Mmm, maybe 'Garfield.'" In terms of really effective horror movies, the French are making the best right now. They're way off the hook, very brutal. It's a new level, really developed, great direction and acting. It makes it all the more shocking.

What's in your festival survival kit?

A couple of beers and some earplugs.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Um, that's really hard. I'm trying to think back to being a young lad and I don't know if I was ever a young lad. I guess when I was developing my addiction for film, way back, watching Michael Keaton. As an actor, I was like this guy is completely awesome. 'Beetle Juice,' 'Batman,' that stuff, Tim Burton-era. But if it's a crush then I guess Meryl Streep. My parents were both fans and I saw all of her films really early. Some I saw later because of the R ratings. As a young kid, I always thought she was ravishing.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Sade.

Do you like the new record?

I don't mind it. It's no 'Smooth Operator,' but it's got some of those elements. We listen to a lot of that '80s era: George Michael, Duran Duran, Foreigner. 'I Want to Know What Love Is,' that comes up once in a while. [Laughs]

Beatles or Stones?

Oh, Mikey would kill me. I think I'm a Stones guy. I think everyone in the band is Beatles, but the Stones are a bit edgier for me, more of a kick. That's an extremely difficult question, but I'd have to go with Stones, because if I was stuck on a desert island I'd have to have all those records.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Wow, that's extreme. I guess the near flipping of our fan was the scariest thing I've ever lived through. That was recently on our Canadian tour. We released our record before the US, so we could tour there before the US and Europe. We ended up touring in November and December in Canada, which is possibly the worst idea ever. We hit an ice storm pulling into Calgary, Alberta. There were 18-wheelers going backward on the highway unable to ascend at all. We ended up going off the highway and we felt the van tilt but our trailer shot out and pulled us back. I don't know how that happened. But for a few moments, I saw the result and thought I was seeing the end.