What is your full name?
John Ogden Mediavilla
Do you have any aliases?
Jon Pyres
What bands are you actively involved with?
As of now Threads of Fate, Lycanthro, Violet Sin (upcoming) and I am a guest vocalist in the upcoming project Woods of Wonders. There are some unnamed projects I am also involved with.
What was the first instrument that you played?
Drums actually!
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
Watching Headbanger’s Ball as a child and falling in love with all the hair metal bands.
What was the name of the first band you were in?
Abatu.
Tell me about the genesis of Threads of Fate.
Threads is the result of my friendship with the other two members of the band, Jack and Vikram. Jack and I became friends through the singer in his other band, Adrienne. I was attending music school at the time and I showed him some material I was working on, and he asked to be involved. Vikram then joined later on as the keyboardist.
What inspired the name Threads of Fate?
Funny enough…a very old video game of the same name that I was in love with as a kid, firstly. Mostly however, it’s the concept of fate itself, and the hilarious ways in which it tends to work.
How long did it take you to write and record The Cold Embrace Of The Light?
About a year.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
Hmmm…If I had to pick one, it would be Evergrey. And because I absolutely love those guys.
That actually happened a lot with a band called Eternal Tears of Sorrow, pretty much every song on the album “A Virgin and A Whore”. And with Evergrey’s “A Touch of Blessing”
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?
Definitely! I enjoy a lot of synthwave and 80s.
What’s a non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of?
It used to be Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship. Not sure now.
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
Wolfheart.
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
Sadly they’ve closed.
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
Cigarettes. Lots of them
What is your favorite thing about touring?
Just being out on the road with people I love. And performing of course.
What is your least favorite thing about touring?
The exhaustion
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?
New York is my absolute favorite.
What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had on the road?
Too many to name.
The year is 2006. Where are you at and what are you listening to?
High school and most likely either Nightwish or Eternal Tears of Sorrow.
Work hard, don’t take shit from anyone and focus on yourself and your art. And I’ll repeat…work your ass off.
What is an absolute band killer?
Ego.
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn’t like, but somebody else in the band really did?
In past bands, yes. As far as everything I’m doing now I’m quite pleased.
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?
Hope In Despair Fest
Evergrey, Insomnium, Evil Invaders
What’s the longest time you’ve gone without bathing?
A couple of days on tour.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
That’s a hard question to answer because I’m a fairly open book.
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?
Delightfully
Do unicorns sleep standing up?
I don’t know, I just work here.
Insomnium, Heart Like A Grave.
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?
Rum and Cigarettes: A Lifetime of Fathomless Contempt
What is your favorite song by KISS?
Who Wants To Be Lonely, actually.
Eternal Tears of Sorrow or Nightwish (if you had to choose)?
Eternal Tears of Sorrow
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?
Neither
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?
Waffles
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?
Star Wars
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
A Nikki Sixx shirt
Favorite meal?
Pizza
Favorite book?
The Count of Monte Cristo!
Favorite movie?
The Lost Boys
Favorite album?
Oh man waaaaaay too many!
Mucho, mucho thanks to Jon for taking the time to answer my queries. I appreciate it. Run. Do not walk. And grab yourself a copy of The Cold Embrace of Light, the debut album from Threads of Fate (and you could grab a copy for a friend). You’ll be glad that you did. And the band probably will be, too.
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson host of the Fistful of DOOM show)
https://threadsoffate.bandcamp.com/album/the-cold-embrace-of-the-light
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