What is your full name?
John and Jon here from Holy Death Trio.
John P. Rosales and Jonathan David Gibson
Do you have any aliases?
Killer John Miller
Jon the Bass Slayer
What bands are you actively involved with?
Holy Death Trio is pretty much our only band and main focus at the moment but we do fill in on other projects here and there.
What was the first instrument that you played?
We all started with the instruments that we play today.
John on Guitar and Jon on Bass.
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
Bass Slayer: My mom and I would drive cross-country when I was little and we would jam the shit out of three albums The B-52s, Purple Rain, and Earth Wind & Fire's greatest hits
The Killer: Probably watching good burger and seeing George Clinton for the first time perform knee deep in a mental institution.
What was the name of the first band you were in?
The Killer: War Syndrome - a political drunk punk band, we were actually pretty good.
Bass Slayer: Holy Death Trio
Tell me about the genesis of Holy Death Trio.
Bass Slayer: It started out as just three dudes jamming in a park in downtown Corpus Christi
The Killer: Yeah it was on a first friday event after a crazy planetary mercury retrograde that canceled a music festival and somehow brought us together.
What inspired the name Holy Death Trio?
The Killer: We have kind of a sick fascination with death and Santa Muerte. It just felt quite fitting to go with being a power trio and raised in South Texas. I’m also obsessed with the supernatural, candles and pagan rituals so the theme fits the band well. Jon rides motorcycles so Skulls and Santa Muerte are a common theme in that lifestyle.
How long did it take you to write and record Bad Vibrations?
The Killer: The song started as a joke in my solo project, Killer John Miller back in 2015. The song was about this kid I knew in high school who was running for class treasury and someone made a fake sign for him and hung it on the wall that said, “if you want dirty money, vote for nasty nate”, that was the chorus for a while until I decided to make a serious attempt to write more lyrics about this dirty money guy. Eventually, Holy Death Trio needed more songs, so Jon the Bass Slayer and I wrote the lyrics. Trey our drummer added all kinds of madman drum ideas, transitions, gallops and what not. We finally completed the song a week before going into the studio and we spent an entire day focusing on that song.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
Bass Slayer: It would probably be Radio Moscow. I mean who doesn't want to jam heavy blues?!?
The Killer: Christian Bland & The Revelators, I think we have similar styles and a fascination with Syd Barrett that would work well. I’d at least like to get a collab song going in the near future
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it? If so… What was the song and artist?
Bass Slayer: Xanadu by Rush
The Killer: Grim Reaper Blues by The Entrance Band
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?
Pretty much all of them are non metal.
Bass Slayer: Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Geddy Lee, James Jameson, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten.
The Killer: I have a reason behind all of them.
The Beatles - They mastered the art of songwriting and their innovation in the studio with George Martin inspired all the classic bands we love today. Dark Side of the Moon might not have been a thing if Magical Mystery Tour didn’t come out.
Jimi Hendrix - Everyone loves jimi hendrix, literally everyone. This is one bad motherfucker that we can all agree upon as the G.O.A.T., his music transcends time and continues to radiate great vibes.
Christian Bland (The Black Angels) - Less is more. His riffs and solos are hypnotizing and tasteful. When that fuzzy guitar hits, you know you're about to go on a ride. I couldn’t say a single bad thing about this humble badass.
Guy Blakeslee (The Entrance Band) I saw him perform a few times at desert daze and he said, “Do I have time for one more?”, he then put his guitar down and walked up to the mic solo with only a tambourine and the most magical sound came out of him. He sang a song acapella and projected his voice with this wild vibrato that was mesmerizing, everyone’s jaw dropped. It was amazing, if you can make people cry with your voice, you just transcended what it means to be a musician.
Non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of.
Bass Slayer: Mommy, what's a Funkadelic
The Killer: Bohemian Rhapsody
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
Bass Slayer: Great Electric Quest, those dudes really push the concept of an entertaining live show. (Interviewers note.. Having seen Great Electric Quest live I can totally confirm this. They kick all kinds of ass.)
The Killer: Jason Kane & The Jive, just pure rocknroll confidence. That boy can sing!
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
The Blue Light in Dallas T.X. ( r.i.p.)
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
Bass Slayer: stretch, 1 joint and 1 lone star tallboy
The Killer: Be like water. Definitely stretch and get in a decent cardio workout. Do some heavy wim hof style breathing. Fast all day to be on the verge of death starving, then take a shot of tequila right before you hit the stage and your body is in fight or flight adrenaline mode.
What is your favorite thing about touring?
Meeting new people and seeing new places
What is your least favorite thing about touring?
FOMO - the constant fear of missing out and not wanting to sleep
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?
Bass Slayer: Aspen, Colorado... only so I can quote Dumb and Dumber for 24 hours
The Killer: Las Vegas, duh!
What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had on the road?
That one time at Slab City where some weird crazy dude wanted to bathe our buddy and feed him ice cream.
The year is 2010. Where are you at and what are you listening to?
Bass Slayer: I was a foreman on a ranch in Cotulla Texas pretty much jamming Jerry Reed day in and day out
The Killer: In a dark hole trying to be Dead Meadow and Ty Segall.
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?
Bass Slayer: Practice, push social media content, you're going to have bad shows but the more you do it the better you get, be humble
The Killer: Ask yourself, Is this really what you want to do? yes... But is it really what you want to do? YES! Then put 1000% of yourself in it! Invest every single dollar and moment of freetime into this! HARD WORK! WORK HARD! The more you put into it, the more people will see it. But if you want to be in a band to get laid, or to “be cool” then you’re going to fail, straight up! We do this because we absolutely love it and would rather die than give up. Invest! Invest! Invest! Instead of going out and drinking or eating out, put that extra money into better gear or hiring a photographer at your next gig. Content is everything, everything! If you played a killer show but didnt post a single photo, did it even happen? If you went on tour in europe and had a blast, blew the house down every night but didn't post any photos or videos, did it even happen?
What is an absolute band killer?
Bass Slayer: GREENLUNG
The Killer: Reverend Horton Heat
(Interviewers note… I love it when people go a whole other direction with this question….)
Who is your favorite professional wrestler…?
the Texas rattlesnake , Stone Cold Steve Austin ...can I get a HELL YEAH??? (Interviewers note… You can get a HELL YEAH! And a Stone Cold Stunner and that’s the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so….)
What’s the longest time you’ve gone without bathing?
Bass Slayer: Probably three to four weeks after my motorcycle wreck I was stuck in bed.
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?
Bass Slayer: Bad decisions can be the best decisions
The Killer: The Starving Artist Guide to Success
The Sword or Wo Fat (if you had to pick one)?
Bass Slayer: Wo Fat duh
The Killer: I want to say Wo Fat but I love that age of winters album!
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
Bass Slayer: My Radio Moscow shirt
The Killer: My vintage “GWAR” shirt for 1990. It’s so badass, I never wear it.
Favorite meal?
Bass Slayer: pussy
The Killer: Buddaha’s Delight in lemongrass with rice or Super Testeroney Meat like Bison or Elk with tons of Veggies
Favorite book?
Bass Slayer: Fight Club, the book is way better.
The Killer: Who doesn’t want to learn to make homemade bombs and con the world?
Favorite movie?
Detroit Rock City
Favorite album?
Dark Side of the Moon
Massive thanks to the Bass Slayer and Killer John for taking the time to answer my queries. I appreciate it. I eagerly anticipate the release of their debut full-length album sometime this winter. If you have not done so already be sure to check out the premiere of their single Bad Vibrations right here at The Ripple Effect.
Ps- They’ve got a shitload of shirts available and not all of them are black!!!
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of DOOM show)
https://holydeathtrio.bandcamp.com/releases
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