Interview with Daniel Gómez (Ex- GOTHIC SLAM, Actually in GHETTO)

(Interviewer: Martín)

Martín: Daniel, thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. To start the interview let's talk about your present. What can you tell me about your new band called GHETTO?

Daniel: Well this can be a long story but let's see. Well again let me say that I have been here the whole time I have never at any point stopped playing music and my drive and goals are still the same as they were from my GOTHIC SLAM days. There was even rumors that I was dead, can you belive that! (You couldn’t kill me if you wanted) HA!. Well after GOTHIC SLAM I was personally lost for awhile and since I have been on my own since my early teen years I was very misunderstood by a lot of people. I saw things diffrent from a lot of my friends due to the fact I had to deal with diffrent situations such as I had been living on my own before most of my friends. I had a room that I had to share a shower with other tenants in a rooming house and struggled going from job to job to survive while persuing my music career. The other guys all still lived at home and did not have to deal with the stresses I had, so I was very street wise and very aggressive. I literally went at times without eating, so I was always hungry. So, my hunger to make something happen was urgent. I have played with a lot of people from my area at some point or another in diffrent projects either playing drums, guitar, bass or singing and it went nowhere. You see people think it is easy to do it, they don't really understand the sacrifices you have to make when you really want to be in a professional band. They think they do but when it comes down to getting dirty they start to flake out especially as you get older...

Everyone wants to be a rockstar but the reality is it's not like the video game "ROCK BAND" (Laughs). It takes a lot. Well, GHETTO is just what I have been doing for years that have gone under diffrent names with diffrent people. No big mystery. New guys, wew name. I have developed my own style, I call it HEAVY-SOUL-METAL.
There is an underground movement called GHETTO-METAL and it is growing. It may take some time, but you will hear about it at some point and remember you heard it from me before it becomes the latest trend (Laughs). You feel me… you will at some point.

Martín: How did become the idea for the name?

Daniel: Well GHETTO is not the kind of name you think of for a heavy metal band. A lot of people think of a hip-hop artist or a gangster rap project. Also the word scares a lot of people they think of the projects or what happened to jewish people or any group of people that have been forced into them due to social events of the world. I think of it as a positive, I have been GHETTO my whole life and to me it means making the best with what you have. You know, it may not be new or expensive, but it is yours and that's GHETTO-FABULOUS. I like turning the negative term into a positive, I love that kind of shit. Never make it easy....make people think.

Martín: Are there any plans to release an album or record some material?

Daniel: Well hell yeah, always!. And in these modern times there is really no need for a record label. I have new material and stuff from the past on my sites and now I can control what happens to them. I don't have to worry about what's going on with money and things like that cause I can do it myself. We couldn't do that years ago, if I could I would have been futher in my career and the way I work. Forget about it….. I did mention I am always hungry rite. It's a do it yourself mentality, old school.

Martín: OK, now let's talk about Gothic Slam. "Killer Instinct" and "Just A Face In the Crowd" were two strong and solid thrash LPs that maybe don't received the proper recognition. Are you agree with me?. Torrid Records supported the band properly?

Daniel: Well, I agree with u to a point. I am greatful for what we accomplished. TORRID RECORDS did what they could at the time, and they were new at it as well and we all took a chance. It took me a long time to come to terms with that. And I have. It happened the way it did for reason. But we all blamed each other for a while there. But now we are considered a classic "THRASH" band, and I can live with that, I've been called worse (Laughs). Not to shabby for a bunch of kids from Union City, New Jersey.

Martín: Did you tour with thrash bands during the eighties?. Any special story on the road that would like to share?

Daniel: Oh my God. We played with some of tha best in that era in time and I think it is great to be part of tha whole thrash era (SNIFF) there are a lot of stories some I remember and some I would like to forget (Laughs) people tell me stories all that time that i can't recall... "SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL BABY...YEAH!. It would take to long.

Martín: Old school thrash metal and tradicional thrash metal are returning thanks to bands like Merciless Death or Municipal Waste, to mention only two. What do you think about this groups that being so young recreate this old sounds?

Daniel: GOD FUCKIN BLESS THEM. CARRY THE THRASH TORCH FORWARD!. Make us proud... play it loud...

Martín: Do you like acts like Lamb Of God, Mastodon, or "metalcore" bands?

Daniel: Yes and no, I guess. I haven't heard anything that has really moved me. One thing is all these cookie monster vocalists it all sounds the same. But those bands are for their generation, and I don't know shit. A band I love, you may hate, and vice versa. All personal prefrences. It's all good.

Martín: I am a big Thin Lizzy fan, and I really enjoyed to listen "Thunder And Lightning" on "Just A Face In The Crowd". How did became the idea of play and include that version?

Daniel: Well, I guess someone considered us a kind of “Thrash THIN LIZZY”. Honestly, I was never into them back then, it took me years to recognize their greatness, and now I am glad we did that song. It's a classic.

Martín: What happened after the release of "Just A Face In Your Crowd"? Why the band split up?

Daniel: The usual “Spinal Tap” bullshit that happens to a lot of bands. Fighting, parting, tension with how to get ahead. Me personally was money. I needed it to survive and I didn't have it or the time for stories. I wasn't perfect either though. I went about things at that time the wrong way. Do I wish we would have continued and I had a nice house and car?. I would be lying if I said no but things happen for a reason. I have learned a lot from the expierence.

Martín: I would like to know what do you think about this huge wave of downloading music and mp3 thing. Do you really believe that benefit the music like some persons that believe this?. Feel free to say whatever you like.

Daniel: Well for me hell yeah it does, cause I have control over what happens, distibution, promotion, networking people buy a song and it comes to us directly. It burns my ass cause I wish I had these tools 15 years ago. If we had this access with GOTHIC SLAM who knows where we would be. I have been promoting this band for 2 to 3 years with the help of my management team headed by tha great Greg (METAL PRODIGY MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTIONS) and his people and so far so good. For instance you are helping the band with this interview and you are not “ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE” and we are not METALLICA. But if we push it we can reach as many people as them through the technology. Something we could not do back in the day. You found the GOTHIC SLAM site and in turn you found me or I found you. You probably thought I was dead too (Lots of laughs!!!). But now you know I have a new project and that's what it is about.....old school...word of mouth and web searches. And you will spread the word to your friends and peeps who read this.It's priceless. Now if i was as big as METALLICA, I would be a little pissed if people were getting my music for free cause then you are messing with how I make my living. If you had a store, you wouldn't want people to steal from it right?. So it goes both ways: great for indie bands but sucks for big established bands.

Martín: Are there any intention of re releasing the two LPs on CD?. It will be great, because actually it is impossible to get any copy of them.

Daniel: I don't know, I have no control of that, but the great thing again is if you go to one of the sites and send me an e-mail, I can send you a copy of the CDs with a copy of the art cover, and u will get it ...GHETTO-STYLE.

OFFICIAL SITE
http://www.trendkillband.com

MYSPACE SITE:
http://www.myspace.com/ghettotrendkiller

Martín: Daniel, if you would choose your favorite ten album of all your life (Of metal or not), which will be the chosen ones?.

Daniel:

1.BAD BRAINS- QUICKNESS
2.CRO-MAGS- THE AGE OF QUARREL
3.PRO-PAIN- (ALL)
4.PANTERA- THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL
5.DMX- (ALL)
6.SAXON- (ALL)
7.DEFTONES- AROUND THE FUR
8.FISHBONE- (ALL)
9.MACHINE HEAD- THE MORE THINGS CHANGE
10.ERIKA BADU- (ALL)

Martín: OK, Daniel. Thank you very much for your time and good luck with GHETTO. Would to like to say some final words for the people that are reading this?

Daniel: THANK YOU for your intrest in GOTHIC SLAM still and all the e-mails i get about those days. And hopefully you enjoy the projects I do in the future. Big thanks to u MARTIN for this interview and the exposure. I wish you all the best.