Very few bands with such a short-lived presence in their careers, have left as great and legacy legacy over the years as BOTCH.
Celebrating their 30 years of existence, the quartet from Tacoma - Washington, will visit Athens, Greece with their entire original line-up, i.e. singer Dave Verellen, guitarist Dave Knudson , bassist Brian Cook and drummer Tim Latona for a unique show, at Gagarin 205, and this should not be missed as it's going to be their last EVER live performance in Europe, as part of their FINAL EU tour.
Read below our very interesting interview with drummer Tim Latona and get ready!
https://www.instagram.com/botch_band
RockOverdose: Last year we had your 30th anniversary as a band. What do you remember from these days, forming the band and what made you want to start your own thing back then?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): I remember playing Helmet covers with Dave K on my parent’s back deck in 1994 or so. That was my first experience playing with someone outside of a school band, and the freedom to explore and get creative was incredibly inspiring for me. I don’t remember ever “wanting to start a band”, I just loved playing with other people and it was really invigorating to take this mess of different influences we all had and mix them together into something new.
RockOverdose: New material was released with “One Twenty Two” and suddenly, people thinking you “dead” are starting to have new expectations. Why was it then the right moment to release something new and how did you feel with this frenetic response it had?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): The timing wasn’t really planned to be the ‘right moment’. It ended up happening that Dave K had an idea that wasn’t meshing with his solo stuff and decided to get each of the members of Botch involved. That song’s release really was the kickstarter for this whole thing, the response was far bigger than I expected. I certainly didn’t expect we’d play a single show, let alone the 40+ in multiple countries we’re doing. It really took on a life of it’s own and it’s been so wonderful reengaging with our fans and our music.
RockOverdose: You do two amazing albums back to back and then comes the time to split up. I assure were filled with sorrow, some believed you were the next big thing in extreme music. What was the key factor that didn’t keep you together back then?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): I really think we just grew apart as musicians and people. Writing became a pain, so practices became a boring and frustrating experience. Without having new music to drive us, it really dried up a lot of the passion that existed previously. I guess ultimately, it just wasn’t that fun anymore.
RockOverdose: All these years on hiatus, did you believe you would have this strong following with people always talking about you, not forgetting you a bit and continuously craving for new material? Did this love of the fans put second thoughts on your return or was it solely your personal decision?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): The continued interest in our music is amazing, humbling and unexpected. Without that of course, none of this would even happen. And for this set of reunion shows the driving factor here is getting the opportunity to share our music again with fans.
RockOverdose: What do you recall from your first years as a band and how do you believe things have changed in the music industry since? Now that everything is available with a button push, does it take something of the originality and old school vibe of the old days, or was it a necessary evil to keep music going?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): I think the constant and instant access to new and different types of music is a double-edged sword. It’s amazing that I can pick just about any record I’d like to hear from the past 60 years and likely be able to stream it in seconds. And I imagine as people are writing music today, that level of access provides a wealth of influences to draw from. Conversely though, the sheer amount of available music makes it increasingly difficult to make a marked impact on the industry, even if you’re doing something unique and of interest.
RockOverdose: You have become legendary for your live shows, rumors have it you brought all the intensity of your albums multiplied by 100%. Do you believe that when you hit the stage, you have to play like there’s no tomorrow, like you have to give it all for the ones below you kicking and screaming?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): Without a doubt. Every night, each of us is fully committed to putting it all out there. This wouldn’t be fun if we were doing it halfway.
RockOverdose: With the above being said, you take the sad decision to never again return to Europe, so the Greek show will be the first and last unfortunately. How did you decide not to go further into touring and how special will the next dates of yours be?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): There are a number of factors here. We all have families that miss us when we’re gone. We have work/professional commitments that we need to adhere to. And we wouldn’t want this to become a reunion tour that never ends. It’s cliche as hell, but all good things come to an end.
RockOverdose: I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about the Greek crowd, but fellows of yours like The Dillinger Escape Plan or Converge love us to bits. Also, we know the promoter has been trying for years to book you and given the chance, she made this gift to all of us. What should we expect from your performance and what do you expect from us in return?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): You should expect that we go up there and pour ourselves on to that stage for our entire set. I’m hopeful that many in the audience, upon hearing the first few notes, turns to their neighbor and say, “HOLY SHIT”. As for you all? We love an engaged audience. Heckle us. Sing along. Obey the shushing in C.Thomas. Come say hi.
RockOverdose: What are your future plans at the moment, if any? We would really like you to go on and make a new album, even if it’s the last one. Is this return permanent or a one-off experienceto thank all those who had been waiting for you these decades and a proper way to say a final goodbye?
Tim Latona (BOTCH): I’m really sorry to say, there are no plans for anything. We’re gonna round out Europe, then Australia, then play our final Seattle shows. It’s a fitting end to a reunion tour I never thought would happen.
RockOverdose: We would like to thank you for your time and for taking the chance to visit us. Botch has been remembered with the best of memories all these years, how would you like this chapter to close one day, and what would make you satisfied as a final memory of the band for all of us? Take care and stay safe, see you in Athens soon.
Tim Latona (BOTCH): I’m incredibly humbled by the continued response we get from fans all of these years later. As a satisfying set of final memories? Really hard to say, because this has already been incredibly satisfying and I don’t expect that to change. I guess knowing that we finally did what we could to say goodbye will feel really good, cathartic I imagine. While I’m not looking forward to those last few drum hits in June in Seattle because it will represent finality, I’ll be so happy looking back and remembering how much this all meant to me. Thank you so much for your time, Athens is gonna be amazing, see you there!
On behalf of RockOverdose,
Aggelos Katsouras
BOTCH main photo credits: LISA HAGEN GLYNN ( From L-R: Brian Cook, Tim Latona, Dave Verellen, Dave Knudson)
The post BOTCH on RockOverdose: “Knowing that we did what we could to say goodbye, feels cathartic” appeared first on Rock Overdose / Rock - Metal Music.
| Source: | https://rockoverdose.gr/botch-interview-eng/ |
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