A Dirty Dozen with JOHNNY LEE from MISS LAVA – April 2025

Photo credit: Manuel Portugal

According to a recent press release: “Lisbon, Portugal-based psychedelic rock unit MISS LAVA today unveils their new video for “Woe Warrior.” The track comes by way of the band’s Under A Black Sun full-length, out today on Small Stone Recordings. Over the years, MISS LAVA has played live in clubs and festivals in the UK, Spain, Germany, and, of course, Portugal. The band has shared stages with the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Slash, Graveyard, Ufomammut, Greenleaf, Kyuss Lives!, Fu Manchu, Valient Thorr, Entombed, Truckfighters, and many more and has even made a one-off appearance at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. Now a five-piece with two guitar players, MISS LAVA has confirmed shows throughout the Spring and Summer months with more to be announced in the weeks to come.” We get singer Johnny 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?

Under A Black Sun marks a turning point for the band, featuring our new drummer, Pedro Gonçalves. I would say it’s the most cohesive album we’ve released so far. In terms of mood, it’s our densest and darkest record, but at the same time, it’s richer in layers and melodies. It revolves more tightly around a central theme. The album is packed with details you only pick up after multiple listens — from guitar layers, vocal harmonies, bass solos, to intricate drum work. As for hidden nuggets, there aren’t any intentionally planted, but for instance, we used three different tunings across the album, something we had never done before. Also, the cover artwork contains hidden references to all the songs — some more obvious, some more cryptic. Another fun fact: in the album credits, Johnny (me, the singer) and João Filipe (the cover artist) are actually the same person. 🙂

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

I don’t think there was one exact moment — it was more of a gradual realization. I’ll say it started when I first discovered metal music at the age of 10. I remember the huge impact certain bands, especially vocalists, had on me. From a very early age, I became obsessed with learning everything about the bands — members, songs, lyrics, albums, even who created the album artwork. I think that’s when I realized this was my world.

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

There were several key moments. Keep in mind, back then in Portugal, we didn’t have much access to heavier music on TV, so whenever we saw a music video or a live performance, it had a huge impact. One moment I clearly remember was seeing Iron Maiden perform “Wasted Years” on a pop music show in 1986 — I think it was called Countdown, hosted by a guy named Adam Curry, I think. That performance completely blew my mind and changed my life. After that, I went deep into exploring heavy metal. Another big moment was seeing Voivod’s “Tribal Convictions” video in 1988. I was already into thrash metal, but Voivod really opened my horizons — it sounded so different from anything I had heard before. And later, in 1991, when I saw the video for Alice in Chains’ “Sea of Sorrow,” it hit me hard. At that time, I was mostly into more aggressive genres like death metal and thrash, but that moment made me realize that less aggressive, more melodic music could be just as powerful and badass. To this day, I still listen to Voivod and Alice in Chains at least once a week, if not daily.

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

Straight away — Ozzy. I have a lot of musical heroes, but for me, the greatest figure in metal history is the Prince of Darkness himself. Having our name associated with Ozzy Osbourne would be like achieving immortality for our band.

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

Unfortunately, none of us have a lot of free time outside of the band — we all work full-time jobs. In my case, it’s especially stressful because I’m a creative director at an advertising agency in Angola, so I split my time between Angola and Portugal. When I do have some free time and I’m back in Portugal, I love going to watch my football team, Sporting Clube de Portugal — I always attend the home matches. I also enjoy going to live shows and, occasionally, playing a bit of padel (I know, not very rock ‘n’ roll! eheheh). In Angola, I spend as much time as possible with my 5-year-old daughter — playing with her and introducing her to metal bands. She absolutely loves it.

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 think Miss Lava is essentially a heavy rock band, strongly influenced by psychedelic rock and stoner rock. We don’t usually get compared to many other bands, although Kyuss is probably the most frequent reference, which is fine. I don’t recall any comparison that really made me cringe. However, I do remember one extremely disrespectful review of our first album in Terrorizer magazine. That reviewer must have been going through a really rough patch or was just a frustrated individual hiding behind his laptop, getting off on his own words. I still don’t understand why someone would waste time trying to humiliate a young band honestly trying to share their music. Instead of simply saying he didn’t like the music, he went all out to insult us for no good reason.

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?

Eheheh, we all enjoy cooking and have cooked for each other a few times. Rafa (guitarist) is the master of the barbecue, the chili expert, and the one who picks the wine. Ricardo (bassist) is more the “let’s just buy a rotisserie chicken and some beers to keep it simple” type. Pedro (drummer) is the craft beer guy. I like to cook more elaborate dishes, like curries, but I know nothing about wine. Hugo (guitarist) hasn’t been with us very long yet, so I don’t know about his cooking skills, but I bet he would be the one to grab an acoustic guitar for a singalong.

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

I can’t pinpoint the very last time, but in the music world, I was really impressed when I met Slash and Josh Homme at shows where we were the opening act. As a fan, I also remember meeting Chuck Schuldiner from Death, and the guys from Corrosion of Conformity — Pepper Keenan, Woody Weatherman, and Reed Mullin. Pepper, in particular, was amazing. Outside of music, the person who impressed me the most with his greatness and humility was Cristiano Ronaldo. I had the chance to work with him twice while I was an art director at an ad agency in Lisbon.

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 creating music to perform live, meeting fans, traveling, and connecting with people. I also really enjoy working in the advertising world, but if I had to dream bigger, I’d love to be more connected to nature — maybe managing a big farm or running a seaside lodge.

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?

I’ve never really thought about a specific question I wish someone would ask. I actually like being surprised by interviews. The most over-asked question, though, is definitely “how did the band get its name?” Since the answer isn’t particularly exciting, I’d be happy never to answer that one again!

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?

I don’t think we’ve made any major mistakes that led to regret, but yes, there are things we wish we had done differently. One of them is the delayed release of Doom Machine due to COVID — it still ended up coming out during the pandemic, so we couldn’t promote it properly. On a personal note, I wish I had done more pre-production work on the vocals for our first three releases — the Miss Lava EP and the albums Blues for the Dangerous Miles and Red Supergiant. There are things on those records that I’m not too fond of today, but at the time, things were much harder. Still, I’m at peace with the final results.

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?

There are so many records I love — Grace by Jeff Buckley is probably the most perfect album ever made, in my opinion. But honestly, I feel like my presence at those sessions would probably have spoiled their magic. So, if I could go back, I’d actually choose to re-record our first three releases, like I mentioned earlier — to bring out their full potential.

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Category: Interviews