>>> respect and when you have it, it is solid.
I have always maintained that Terminatryx is first and foremost and artistic expression. I view it as an art project, it has a life of its own and for me it is like another person in our house.
If people really like the music we make, it is the ultimate compliment and a bonus for us, and we truly value the people that like Terminatryx, because they are OUR people.
I have so much respect for our fans and I absolutely LOVE interacting with them. Perhaps it is easy for me to say this because we don’t have stadiums filled with fans (yet), but even if we had, I would like to meet each and every one of them. LOL!
If your fans are an annoyance for you, you might be in the wrong business…
RONNIE: We're all here to support the same thing, I just happen to be on stage doing it.
I read one day that to be in a band is like being part of a dysfunctional family. Is this true and do you as the Terminatryx family sometimes become dysfunctional? Explain or be tortured...
SONJA: Yes, it really is like being in a family. We do get on very well though and perhaps it is because we are older and sober, but we have respect for one another and value the input each member gives.
We are all in other bands as well, Paul and I are both in the Makabra Ensemble with Sean Ou Tim, Simon Ratcliffe and Matthijs Van Dijk and Ron are in The Flaming De Villes. Pat also has his other family in Mind Assault and I am doing my A Murder project with my evil twin, Nerine Dorman.
These bonds are strong and we are all cut out of the same alternative cloth.
PAUL: It may sound boring, but we're old enough and have been in various bands long enough to have a mutual respect for each other - and it also helps that our personalities gel and we get along as friends.
We do this for the music, not to party or act the fool.
The dynamic of Sonja and I is naturally different due to our relationship - I'm the lucky fucker going home with her after every show!
Also with this being our main musical project in addition to our movie soundtrack group, The Makabra Ensemble, we can get very precious about technicalities or details.
For instance, Sonja can get frustrated when I record her vocals and try to drive her towards a certain goal - it's not an attack or insult, but rather a drive towards getting the best out of the moment.
Most of the time we have a synced and unified vision of the music, videos, photographs but don't always agree or feel comfortable with certain things - like not everyone are keen on dressing up and getting made-up for shoots, but we know it is part of the whole package and final product, so we take the bullet.
My song-writing is a bit different to "proper" musicians, and that can sometimes confuse Patrick when learning a new song - I don't let that frustrate me, as I can't force it down someone's throat - they'll click with it when they do, so we go round and round until it does.
So, overall we run a pretty smooth engine and humour has a lot to do with keeping it fun. We can joke about the dumbest shit off-stage, but as soon as we perform, we click into it and we're as serious as a fucking heart attack!
My deepest sympathy to those who think that being in a band is all moonshine and roses, because it’s not. Rehearsing, recording, touring, setting up, performing, and keeping your fans happy can all be gruelling work.
Over and above this, you’re all in some way or another involved in other creative projects, your nine to five jobs; as well as your own social and family commitments/responsibilities.How in Valhalla’s name do you manage not to burn out and stay sane? Having asked that, what have you got lined up for the immediate future and, is there perhaps a ‘secret’ long term project or goal you want to share with us?
SONJA: Apart from Terminatryx and A Murder, I work full time and am busy studying for my degree at UNISA.
These last couple of months have been incredibly difficult as I have been sick. Burning the candle at both ends can seriously take its toll and I have now learnt that it is important to step on the brakes every now and again.
I basically did Witchfest with one lung and am now paying the price with what seems to be a long recovery from serious bronchitis and an intercostal rib sprain.
We are all a bit tired but believe me it is only a lull! We have plans for some very cool music videos and I must admit I am feeling the urge to get my hands dirty with some new material.
RONNIE: What has to be done, has to be done. I immerse myself in creativity to create something that will last.
PAUL: Yes, I also write movie and music related reviews and articles, when we don't make our own movies and music videos, I edit freelance, run our websites, and for the last decade we've created and overseen various indie film festivals like the HorrorFest, X Fest, Celludroid and Sound On Screen. Patrick keeps busy with graphic design and runs Fiend Arts, which also includes the Metal4Africa portal and its two annual live music festivals.
Ironically bands like ours very much create what we do in our spare time!
That's why I'm always very proud when our local colleagues can hold their own next to international acts who do this on a daily basis as their exclusive careers. I overheard a girl at Carfax saying after the show that she preferred Terminatryx to Ministry!
We have to keep the shark moving and never stall. I try to keep a constant flow of new info and features via the press and on our social media and website - that's a full time job in itself! It is costly to release an album a year, but we don't want to have as long a gap between the next album as our previous ones.
We'll be producing more music videos for the "Shadow" album.
We'll release an exclusive digital Terminatryx anthology from across our catalogue on Fangoria Musick, the imprint of the legendary American horror magazine. A release date is pending on a special tribute album for tragic Afrikaans poet Ingrid Jonker - we adapted her poem "Ontvlugting". The collection will feature loads of local artists taking on her poems and there's talk of a vinyl release.
Mid-year we'll be taking on something we've wanted to do for a while;play some under-18 shows! There are too many youngsters who may like our music but due to alcohol age restrictions can't get into clubs, and end up becoming prefab pop drones, because there was no alternative available to them...
Terminatryx links:
http://www.terminatryx.com
http://www.facebook.com/Terminatryx
http://www.terminatryx.bandcamp.com
http://www.twitter.com/Terminatryx
http://www.youtube.com/Terminatryx