KNOW YOUR ROCKSTARS: Warryor

Warryor
with special guests Tommy Had a Vision
WHEN: May 6-Simon Sez, McAllen; May 8-Overtime, Weslaco; May 10-The Garage, Pharr
FOR MORE INFO: www.myspace.com/officialwarryorsite

FESTIVA: Describe you music. What do you want people to get out of it?

WARRYOR: We play high energy guitar driven old school rock / metal.~ We want~people to have fun. There's nothing depressing about us.

FESTIVA: Is there one song you guys perform that typifies your band?

WARRYOR: The song Hearts on fire would be one of the songs that has all the elements we strive for. Great vocal range, biting guitar solos and just a big sound.

FESTIVA: Tell me about your fans? Who are they - what other bands do they follow?WARRYOR: One of the things we pride ourselves is our audience. We have one of the largest age gaps that a band can have. We have the older crowd that was listening to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest when they were young and we have the kids that are sick of hearing all the nu-metal/emo and everything in between. Sometimes we actually have the parents with their kids saying "I told ya so," that's always nice. I would say that our core fans are people who follow bands like ACDC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead-bands like that. Even a lot of punker's. We're very influenced by old punk and I think it shows. We have a certain style and don't deviate from it.

FESTIVA: You're doing some big shows this year. Tell us about them and what makes them exciting? Where are you going, who are you performing with?

WARRYOR: We have some pretty big things going. Rocklahoma is one of them. We're the only band from Texas playing the festival. Last year's crowd was over 100,000 people and we'll be playing with a lot of bands we admire: Bret Michaels of Poison, Tesla, Night Ranger, Cinderella, the list goes on. We have some other really big things that we can't mention because they're still brewing big time and it's not wise to reveal things until they're set in stone.

FESTIVA: How has being part of this band changed you or helped you all develop as musicians?

WARRYOR: Well, we only have one album released and right now we're getting ready to record the new one. I think people will definitely see the maturity level in the new songs. The sound is the same-it's still pure. But as you mature as songwriters you learn how to pepper the songs. Hooks are catchier; riffs are better, not as much dull time. I personally like to treat my guitar solos like songs themselves. I don't like to repeat solos. For my brother, (Chris Daniel) Boss, this music definitely keeps his range in check. And Ed (Guzman, drums) well he has the most physical job.

FESTIVA: What is the most common misconception about your band?

WARRYOR: The biggest misconception is that we're stuck in the '80's. Yes this band is definitely influenced by some of the great '80's bands and we do have an old school sound. But our approach is quite the opposite. We definitely don't look like girls with wigs and we don't press our lips. A writer for the Vegas Rocks magazine wrote that I looked like a "refugee from a punk band." Ha, ha, ha! Promoters are always trying to book us with older bands and I hate that because we love to play with Hardcore, Metal, and Emo bands. We do it all the time and get an overwhelming response. People love this style of rock; they sometimes just don't know it.

Questions compiled by Festiva Staff Writer Paige Lauren Deiner.