TJ: Roll call time! Who's in the band and what part do you each play?
BMT: Joel Hayter on Drums
Stevie Jiminez on Guitar
Matt Reinhardt on Bass
Vali Reinhardt Singer and Lyricist
TJ: What made you decide to form this band?
BMT: Last July, Vali was busy trying to hold together an Evanescence Tribute band that was falling apart, so she started searching on Craig's List for other bands, local original bands because she had been
writing lyrics and wanted to put them to use. She already had an original song, "Mirrors", that was being played on several internet stations and getting attention on ReverbNation. It has since been picked up by Delinquent Records on the Virginis Mettalium - a tribute to the new maidens of metal CD which features female fronted Metal and Hard Rock bands from around the world. So meanwhile, Stevie and two others that are no longer in Black Market Tragedy were jamming some original tunes about eight minutes from Vali's house. They advertised for a female singer so she went and auditioned and the four of them wrote their first song that night "Soul Decay". They began practicing once or twice a week and each practice for the first ten practices, they wrote a new song. The chemistry was amazing. Once they had five songs, they decided to try them out at a local open mic night, at Park Grocery, which is literally half bar and half grocery store. You can send your husband to pick up some milk and bread and you might see him four hours later. It was an older crowd, so they were a little worried about the aggression of their music, but the crowd loved it. Eventually, the original drummer was replaced with Joel Hayter, who also plays for Revolver (Houston's Rage Against the Machine Tribute) and Matt Reinhardt began playing bass. He has always been a guitar player, never in a band, just as a hobby. When their bass player left a few weeks before their first scheduled show, Matt stepped in and learned bass. This was really cool for Matt and Vali as they have been married 21 years and Matt has always been in the crowd when Vali was on stage, filming and taking photos. They both really enjoy being on stage together. Stevie, who is the only original member, has had quite a bit of touring experience with previous bands and he brings a unique flavor and style with his guitar playing to Black Market Tragedy.
TJ: What are some inspirations in the writing process of your songs?
BMT: As far as lyrics go, Vali uses past experiences and inner struggles to write. She is very passionate about her songs, as they are close to her heart. Her goal is to help others through difficult times with her words. You can feel the emotion coming through when she performs her own songs. The music normally just comes from the band getting together and jamming, Vali usually listens for a while, gets the feel of the music, looks through her book of lyrics and jumps in. Most of the time, this is how their songs come to life.
TJ: Most bands have certain goals they try to achieve down the road, is there a main one for you?
BMT: We definitely want to be played on the radio, maybe do a little touring, play in front of huge crowds that know our songs and hear them singing along. To know that we have affected some of our fans in a positive way with our music would be an awesome feeling. We love doing shows where half the crowd is wearing our shirts, we are trying to create a bar code army!
TJ: With this being Spring turning to the Summer time, a lot of big festivals are coming up. If you could choose one to play on, which one would it be and why?
BMT: We are actually playing a festival at The Rig in Pasadena this summer, it will be our first festival
ar them singing along. To know that we have affected some of our fans in a positive way with our music would be an awesome feeling. We love doing shows where half the crowd is wearing our shirts, we are trying to create a bar code army!
black market tragedy