A Dirty Dozen with WAYLON REAVIS from A KILLER’S CONFESSION – SEPTEMBER 2024

Photo credit: Matthew Taylor Photography

According to a recent press release: “A KILLER’S CONFESSION, fronted by vocalist and mastermind Waylon Reavis, plunge past the point of no return, offering a captivating album of melodic hard rock dosed with pummeling metal and industrial stylings on their latest LP VICTIM 1. It arrives September 13 via MNRK HEAVY.” We get Waylon to discuss new music, influences, and more.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest release is Victim 1 and it is my most proud moment as a musician. I honestly believe this is the true sound of AKC and in all actuality, it is our true first album. The album in a hole is a concept album set in the mind of a killer. Little nuggets listeners can find are callbacks to old songs I’ve written years ago.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

May 5, 1995 was the day that I realized I wanted to become a musician. It’s funny how you can remember the dates of life-changing moments. On that day I witnessed Korn, Marilyn Manson, and Danzig at my first concert and knew this is what I wanted to do.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

There are many songs that I can refer to and bands, but if I had to say one, it would be Korn. They were the first act I ever witnessed live and the energy they put off was contagious and I still feel the effects of that experience.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

If I could call anyone, it would be Maynard from Tool. I feel like I could learn so much from him as a vocalist and lyricist. He never ceases to amaze me with what he can do. He’s the one vocalist. I can always sit back and listen to and be hypnotized by the melody and not care about the words. In my opinion, the man could read the wanted section in the newspaper and make it sound amazing.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I love to build Lego sets. I have an obsession with Harry Potter that is borderline unhealthy. So I have turned my basement into a Lego shrine to Harry Potter. I recently just received a new castle set and my wife Julie bought me the lights to go inside of it and I’ve spent the last week building that.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I don’t think I could really describe my music. I don’t feel like we truly sound like anyone other than us.  The only thing that I find cringe is when someone says this sounds like Mushroomhead not knowing that I was the former singer so I’m like does it sound like Mushroomhead or does my voice sound like me?

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

We do none of the above. We are a band that loves to watch movies and crack jokes. We are very sober so drinking is never on the table. The only time that we are truly together is when we are on the road.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

A few years back, I was in Hollywood and came across Willem Dafoe. When I laid eyes on him, I froze my tracks. I could not bring myself to walk up to him or say anything.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is the fans. What we do is for them and to get their approval is everything. if I would longer be a musician, I’ll probably go back to college becoming archaeologist because I have an interest in human history where we came from.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

There’s no question that I’ve always wanted someone to ask because I treat each interview as a conversation between myself and them. I never really get tired of answering the same questions but one that does bother me when people asked me why I left Mushroomhead.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Looking back over my career, I would not change anything because it made me the person I am today and if anything was to have been done different, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

To be honest none.  Sometimes it’s just better to enjoy it from an outside point of view. The way they captured sounds recorded vocals are sometimes best left alone and to just sit back and listen.  That’s part of the magic.

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Category: Interviews