Not For The Faint Of Heart

Not For The Faint of Heart have been around in the scene for a bit, first emerging a few years back — I remember seeing them on the bill for PYGMALION a two or three years ago. They remain active, and just out a full length record called Corporate Greed, which you can stream in full below. If you're looking for a new local thrash record, check this one out. - Smile Politely

NG: This week, Paul Wood chats with a member of a promising new metal band, Dan Wachtel, 15, of Urbana.The band is Not for the Faint of Heart, and this is probably their first interview.Other band members are Drake Maxson, guitar; Shon Valentine, guitar; William Penne, drums; and Syd Davis, bass

Tell me a funny story about Not for the Faint of Heart.

DW: We were in the middle of a song and I noticed that I couldn't hear the bass drum. After the song was over, Will was saying something about the bass drum being broken and I thought he was saying that the pedal stopped working. Then Will's dad carried the bass drum away and there was a huge hole in it. So I asked Krelboyne (the band that was playing after us) if they could lend us a bass drum. They did and it was all a happy ending.

NG: What is your latest project?

DW: Writing originals.

NG: How did you first grow interested in music? Does your family have a musical history?

DW: My dad was a music teacher and my mom wasn't too much of a musician. My first favorite band was They Might Be Giants when I was about 5, then my dad introduced my brother and me to the Monkees. When I was 8, I started listening to the Beatles, and my musical tastes have been expanding ever since.

NG: Which bands did you like when you were a teenager? Which bands now? Who has influenced you the most?

DW: Considering I'm a teenager now, I'm mainly into Amon Amarth, Avenged Sevenfold, Dragonforce and Trivium. But I wouldn't be a musician today without the Beatles.

NG: How did your band get started?

DW: Basically, I was looking to start a metal band. There weren't too many musicians that I knew that were into metal. So I put an ad up on Craigslist and soon enough, Will answered. The day before Will came over, I saw Syd at the Farmer's Market. I asked him if he would be willing to join us and he did. Then I met Shon in my P.E. class and he said he'd join, and a few weeks after he asked me if Drake could join the band, which he did.

NG: How often do you play?

DW: We have played about three times since our formation in August.

NG: Do you write your own songs? Tell us about that experience.

DW: We've been trying to write originals. We are figuring out the structure of one of them, and the other two are riffs that were only played to us once.

NG: What's your favorite song?

DW: I can figure out a couple of favorite bands, but choosing a favorite song is too much.

NG: What's your favorite clothing item for performance?

DW: I'd have to say my patched denim vest. - The News-Gazette