Band Interview with Dead in London

Michael Mealey - Vocals
Brett Moore - Guitars & Backing Vocals
Adam Kraft - Guitars & Backing Vocals
Steve Manko - Bass
Brian Patrick - Drums

Dead in London was conceived in Cleveland, OH. This band is a collection of players from a variety of different rock influences. They are now poised as the new "original" of hard rock music. Get ready for them to blow your speakers out.

Manager Randy Chase of Extraordinary Talent arranged an interview for this Associated Content Producer and the Dead in London band members. We met at the City Place Restaurant in Lakewood, Ohio on March 21. Vocalist Mike Mealey, guitarist, Brett Moore, and drummer Brian Patrick were there to share about their band, upcoming projects, and lives.

Q. What is one sentence that perfectly describes your band?
A. High intensity, in your face, Rock and Roll.

Q. How did you come up with the name Dead in London?
A. Mike really liked the name London and the rest of us all came up with different words. We listed all the words out and put them together in different configurations. Dead in London was the obvious winner!

Q. Who started the band and how long have you been together?
A.. Mike (Vocals), Brett (Guitar), and Brian (drums) were in a different band together. Then Mike and Brett left to start their own project. Brian came on board later along with the rest of the members. We've been together since 2005.

Q. What's your claim to fame?
A. We're Real Rock and Roll. Rock that you haven't heard for quite sometime, but done in a new way. Our music is very catchy and every song has a part that you'll find yourself singing along to. It feels like you're listening to good classic rock and roll.

Q. Tell us about your upcoming CD "This Is It"?
A. The first couple of tracks grab you right away. Each song is unique, but they flow together perfectly. You don't want to skip a track. "This Is It" will be released in May of this year.

Q. You have a video that has been released to help kick off this CD. Where did you shoot this?
A. (Being very secretive). This was shot at an old haunted theater somewhere in Northwest Ohio. It is very old and has been shut down for years; we think it was last used as a porn theater.

Q. What was the best and worst experience in shooting the video?
A. The best experience was working with John Pope. Not only is he a true professional, but he's also a fan. We felt like we were performing just for him. Being in the old theater was really cool too. The worst experience was that it was only 13 degrees in the theater, so we were freezing to death. Brett drank some horrible chocolate coffee and didn't feel well from that. Mike had to duct tape his drumsticks to his hands because it was too cold to hold onto them. It was still a good time, the professionalism and atmosphere made it great.

Q. Where will this video be aired?
A. The video is currently available at our site, deadinlondon.com. (Author note: This video is a Must See!).

Q. How do you promote your band and shows?
A. Mike works at Hot Topic and gets to meet a lot of people for word of mouth promoting. Using myspace is very helpful. We personally reply to whoever wants to contact us. We think it's important to stay connected.

Q. What was involved in getting signed to your current management?
A. Randy Chase, from Extraordinary Talent, knew the guys from a long time back in different bands. When they formed Dead in London, they contacted him. Randy liked what he heard and it went from there.

Q. Describe your show, musically and visually.
A. We are very loud! We are bigger than what you would expect from a local act. We keep interaction with the crowd, getting them moving, singing, and clapping. We also jump around, just get crazy and have fun.

Q. If you could play the perfect show, what other bands would be on the bill and why?
A. The perfect show for us wouldn't be about the other bands. It would be about having a sold out show with great crowd participation. It would be cool to play with bands like Velvet Revolver, Motley Crue, and Kiss.

Q. Tell us about your next show and why we should be there.
A.. Our next show is April 7, at Peabody's, in Cleveland, OH. You should be there because it's going to be fun and awesome for everyone.

Q. What would you do if you didn't play music?
A. If Mike weren't singing, he would be cutting hair. Brian still has the sticks duct taped to his hands (Metaphorically speaking) and they aren't coming off, so he won't be doing anything else. If Brett weren't playing the guitar, he would be dead.

Q. If one of our readers wants to contact you, how would they do that?
A. The best place would probably be at our myspace.com/dilrock site. Either there, or our deadinlondonrock.com site.

Q. Is there anything you would like to tell the fans of Dead in London?
A. Use protection and buy Dead in London merchandise.

Q. Where will fans be able to purchase your new CD when it's released?
A. They can come out to our live shows and get it there or at fishheadstore.com.

Q. What can we expect from Dead in London for the rest of the year?
A. More shows, hopefully a lot of touring.

Dead in London have the music, the look, and the chops to capture their rightful place in the hard rock music world. You'll be hearing about them for a long time.