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doo-horror-punk band.
All questions answered by The Rev. Benjamin Samedi.
Nightmare Sonata
By Jenny Johnston
T
he Reverend Benjamin Samedi formed Nightmare Sonata in 2004 out of the broken remnants
of Greensboro, NC’s Gothic-Industrial and Punk rock
scenes for the sole purpose of attracting sexual partners
and venting his STD induced rage. The original line up
consisted of a lap top computer and a mannequin he
stole from a local Hot Topic, brought to life with magical voodoo hair spray, and taught to play keyboards. After divorcing his first ex wife and contracting what has
only been referred to as “Rock ‘N’ Roll Herpes”, Benjamin Samedi was ordained as a Reverend in the Universalist Life Church. He decided to reformat Nightmare
Sonata with new members, all of who have dubious musically abilities, at best. It was at this time that he taught
himself to sing and play guitar so he could compose the
second half of Nightmare Sonata’s catalogue.
Nightmare Sonata has become known in the region
for an intense and often graphic stage presence coupled
with a dark and heavy sound. The band has toured extensively throughout the Southeast and became an act
to catch live due to the heavy grooves, Samedi’s melodic
vocals, as well as the horror-themed theatrics. Nightmare Sonata takes pride in being the worlds only voo-
Halloween of 2013.
Who in the band came up with your name? What,
if any, reason did you guys choose it? Does it have a
meaning behind it or does it stand for something?
The band name is kind of a fusion of “A Nightmare
On Elm St” and “A Phantom of the Opera”. In the original practice room I had posters of both on the wall.
We were kicking around possible band names, looking
things up on the internet and finding that it was already
somehow in use or whatever, when “Nightmare Sonata”
clicked in my head, and after checking it against anything out there on the net, we adopted it as the band
name. A “sonata” is a piece of music written to be played
by a small ensemble of musicians. So, our name implies
that we’re the soundtrack to your nightmares.
Let’s start off by introducing the band. Who
are the members and
what instruments do they
play?
The Rev. Benjamin
Samedi: lead vocals, guitars. Hobbies include red
heads, fast food, and lifting weights.
Vega: Drums. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Infection. Is able to
count to the number “4”.
Is unable to digest vegetables.
Pork Rotten: Guitar. He
sometimes finds blood in
his alcohol stream. Bleeds
100% Budweiser. This
Bud’s for HIM.
The Lady Von Creepy
Shit: Bass, backing vocals. Is a genetic mutation
of plantar warts and late
stage syphilis raised in a petri dish on a steady diet of
The Cure and Siouxe and the Banshees.
Let’s assume that the readers have never heard of
your band. What do you want them to get from this
interview?
Hopefully they’ll all catch
the Rock ‘N’ Roll Herpes. Rock
‘N’ Roll Herpes for everyone!
So how long have you
guys been playing in this
band? Is this everyone’s first
band or have they played in
others we may of heard of?
I’ve had this band together
for 10 years. Nothing else I ever
did made it past basement gigs
and house parties. Vega and
Pork’s careers have been much
the same. Creepy has been in
other notable projects, including The Bleeding Twats as well
as The Lady And The Lizard.
Vega is the longest standing
member, with Pork as a close
second. Creepy’s first gig was
Is there one person who writes all the songs or do
you guys write as a band?
I am the sole song writer. I write the lyrics, the melody, and the guitars, and then I present it to the guys.
Being the only original member of the band, I’ve been
very guarded and protective of the creative process as
to ensure that the band will continue, no matter who
comes or goes. I essentially started this band as an effort
to find random sexual partners. After I contracted my
first two sexually transmitted diseases and I divorced
my first wife, I decided to actually learn how to sing and
play guitar as to compose the second half of our catalogue.
Where do you guys usually gather songwriting
inspiration? What is you guy’s usual songwriting process?
First, I randomly have sex. Then, magically the
songs appear fully composed and perfectly recorded.
But sometimes my songs are
inspired by broken hearts,
musings on socio political issues, anger, hate, resentment. I
generally start with the lyrics.
I have notebooks upon notebooks full of lyrics. All of the
notebooks are bound in the
flesh of saints and written in
virgin blood. The music normally comes later when I’m
practicing by myself. I start
playing a melody, and I find
lyrics that fit that vibe. But only
the good songs are written that
way. Mostly, I just randomly
have sex.
If someone wanted to
hear your music where could
they find it? Do you have a
Soundcloud or ReverbNation
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