Who is Johnny Demonic… that's the age old question, right? Who am I? My friends & family are very important to me. They are a very big part of who I am. I would also say that my life revolves around music. It is my life's blood… Listening, playing… it is a very big part of who I am, and I am very open minded as to the types of music I listen to. Hopefully that's apparent in the music that I write and play.

I've always held a fascination for monster movies & comics… My father & grandfather introduced me to Alfred Hitchcock and cheesy B movies when I was a kid. It was only natural for me to translate some of that obsession to my music.

I've been poor, rich, elated and miserable. I've lived on the streets, seen friends overdose and die on heavy drugs. I've dealt with suicide. I've loved & hated so deeply it was painful. I look at my experiences in life, both good and bad, and realize that they have made me who I am today. I think a lot of these experiences have contributed to my musical outlook and feel like it's been a positive impact on the band. I don't know if that really answers your question, but that's about the best answer I can give to that question…

How long has Left for Dead been together and when was the bands current line-up stabilized? I know Shane (Meatwhistle) of Diemonsterdie played drums for the band for a brief time. Were there any other previous members before the line-up was solidified?

Left for Dead formed in November 2004… we've been together almost a year now. The current & permanent line up is: Johnny Demonic on rhythm guitar & lead vocal, Sam Hainus on lead guitar & backing vox, Bucket on bass guitar & Cordaver plays the drum kit. In the short time we've been a band it's been a struggle to find the right drummer. We started with a drummer known as Dead Serious… he was the drummer for one of my previous musical endeavors. He's a great drummer, but he runs his own concrete finishing business and finding time for practice in his busy schedule was near impossible. The band decided to find a drummer who could commit more time to our project. Around this time we decided to cut a few songs for a demo CD and the WHN compilation, but without a drummer we were stuck. I called a good friend of mine, Brandon Hansen, as a hired gun behind the kit. We cut two tracks (Night of the Living Dead & The Dead are Coming for Me) in our rehearsal studio on my 8 track digital recorder. Brandon did not have the time to commit as a permanent member of our band. We had some gigs lined up that we did not want to drop out on. We asked Meatwhistle to fill in for us on a few shows until we found a new drummer. Now, Meatwhistle is one helluva drummer. He knew our songs and the gigs that we played with him really clicked.

Around this time a local fanzine here in SLC (SLUG Magazine) was asking for submissions for a compilation CD they were putting together. We decided to get into the recording studio & cut a few more tracks (Living Abortion & Tonight you Die) and submit something for the compilation. We asked Meatwhistle if he'd cut the tracks with us. Things went so well that we booked more time with the recording studio & asked Shane to come back & play on the album. Shortly before we went back into the studio to cut the rest of our tracks we were lucky enough to find Cordaver. He wasn't ready to cut the album with us and Meaty was, so all the tracks on the new record have him drumming, with the exception of the bonus track (12). Cordaver will be drumming on all future LFD recordings.

I will say this about the current lineup… Things with LFD have never been more solid. As a band we are really feeling where the others are headed… all on the same page. The new songs that we are turning out are much more of a group effort than ever before. Things are feeling very good in the LFD room right now.

From day one, I've been highly addicted the band's melodic and catchy as hell tunes. What do you think makes Left for Dead stand out amongst the mountains of other horror rock bands?

Hehe… well, as I mentioned before, I have a very wide taste in music. When I write songs these influences obviously sway our style in one way or another. We refuse to resign to a set flavor… with LFD you get a variety of different styles, from hop songs to rockabilly to metal and punk… but we add our own style to it. I feel like we take something familiar and update it with our sound. We like to experiment with vocals… we have a lot of harmonies going on back there & I think that sets us apart. Simplicity… A song doesn't have to be complicated to be good. If you've got a solid foundation and solid vocals then you just have to find something that makes that tune stick in your brain… something that will keep you singing it all day long.

I guess what really sets us apart is the fact that the songs are very palatable for a wide range of people… just because we're singing about zombies doesn't mean the music has to be fast or punk or whatever. Big hooks and easy lyrics to sing along to, almost radio friendly even. When people hear the words "horror rock" they make an assumption as to what the music will sound like… Rob Zombie, GWAR, Slipknot, etc… when they actually hear us I think they are pleasantly surprised that we sound like something they would listen to, if that makes any sense at all…

My first encounter with Left for Dead was when I heard your song "Night of the Living Dead" on the World Horror Network's -The Horror of it All compilation. How'd you come about getting a spot on the record?

Well, I've known Shane Diablo for about 4 years now. He had organized an online forum to promote the horror rock culture and I was a regular poster on the boards. Basically, he asked for a submission & we were happy to put something together for him. I know a lot of bands were hesitant to put their faith in Shane, but we had no worries. We knew that Shane was an honest guy so we took the necessary steps to get involved with his project. It's the best thing LFD has done to date. It has helped our band immensely.

It seemed only like a few shorts months between the time I first heard of the band to the time you released a full length record on Dr. Cyclops Records. Did you have most of these songs written and waiting to be released before the WHN compilation was released, or was it just a gradual song writing process?

I kind of touched on this earlier… we submitted "Night of the Living Dead" for the WHN comp & we were surprised at the reaction. Things went so well with Shane in the studio when we cut Living Abortion & Tonight you Die that we just booked the time for the full album. We had the songs written & had been performing them live so it was just a matter of getting them on tape… we thought it was a good idea to get everything recorded quickly since the reaction to the track on the WHN comp was so stellar.

The new album is simply amazing! Every song is an absolute favorite of mine. What songs from the album are you most proud of and which song(s) was the hardest to write either musically or lyrically?

I don't really know how to answer this one… I don't know that there are songs I'm most proud of… some of my favorites on there are Outer Space, Beware the Moon, Living Abortion… I think Sam Hainus has a lot to be proud of on the album… his guitar solos are stellar. I think Bucket did some great bass work on Graveyard Hop and Dead are Coming… Shane's drumming is rock solid… it was a lot of work, but it was definitely worth the effort. It has exceeded my expectation, and I have very high expectations…

As far as what song was easy or hard to write… I don't know. It doesn't really work that way for us. Typically, someone will bring a riff to practice and we'll kind of jam on it for a bit and say "it needs a change here" or "lets figure out how the chorus works" or whatever… from there I just think about a subject & usually the lyrics just sort of flow… sometimes I'll hit a slow spot or I'm uninspired, but that usually passes quickly.

The band has recently contributed the cover of "Bloody Hammer" to the Roky Erickson tribute to be released on Halloween of this year. Why "Bloody Hammer" and what influence has Roky had on you/the band?

We have not had a chance to actually cut the track yet… we've been so busy lately with the new album & some big shows that we have not been able to even think about the tribute CD. I had only heard a few Roky songs before we were asked to contribute a tune for the CD. Honestly, the reason I want to make the contribution is because the proceeds benefit a charity for Roky. I'm a compassionate person and I believe in Karma… I think that by making the contribution it will bring good things our way. I also hope that if I were in Roky's position that someone would put together something like that for me.

How is the music scene in Salt Lake City? I've noticed a lot of the same bands playing, but I figured maybe I'm missing some sort of secret underground pool of bands…or something like that.

The scene here is good! There are a lot of great bands… and the horror scene is growing all the time. It seems like each show brings out more people. I've been hearing a lot about new horror bands forming so it's definitely on the rise. It may seem like you hear about a lot of the same bands playing together, but you are mainly hearing about shows with LFD & DMD on the bill… SLC has many venues for live music & many bands to play them… on any given night in SLC you can catch a show with 3 live bands at an all ages club & then head to the bar & see 3 more… lots of great bands here… and once you've sold someone on your music they're a dedicated fan.

Now let's take a moment to get close and intimate with the Demonic one…

Who's your biggest influence/inspiration?

Ohhh… so many… Ramones, Morrissey, Elvis, Misfits… Inspiration… anything horror… I read a lot of Stephen King… watch a lot of cheesy horror & sci-fi flicks…

Who are some of your favorite movie monsters?

ZOMBIES!!!! I like a lot of the classics… Phantom of the Opera, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein… I love Vincent Price and Alfred Hitchcock… I'm a big fan of the suspense element in horror movies… Pinhead & the Centobites are definitely a fave… Children of the Corn… I thought Kathy Bates was awesome in Misery… I love the slasher flicks too… Jason, Michael, Freddy… Leatherface!!!

If you couldn't play music, what profession would you like to be in?

I guess that depends on why I couldn't play music… I'd like to record music… porno actor? Artist? I like to paint & draw a lot so I'd probably go with something artistic…

What is something that not too many people know about you?

I can't play the guitar… I just fake it pretty well (so does my girlfriend… fake it, I mean)

If the world was running low on chicken, how would you suggest we fix the problem?

The meat industry could work together with the humane society & we could kill 2 birds with one stone… Kentucky Fried Chihuahua? I've been vegetarian since 1990 so… eat more soy?

Which of the following sounds like Johnny Demonic's Saturday night?

a) Hanging out with friends and breaking into the zoo to free animals
b) Go down a few houses where old Ms. McDonald lives, trying to break
into her house and scare her with skulls and blood, knowing she has a heart condition
c) Go to the local rock show
d) Surf the internet trying to find the newest in amputee pornography
e) All the Above

I'm not above doing any of that… my typical Saturday night is closer to "C" though… sometimes "D"

Lastly, is there anything you'd like to say to the people who may be reading this?

Thanks for supporting what we do! Thanks for the interview & the great feedback on the CD, TJ… good questions! You made me think a little today… it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Ummm… check out www.DrCyclopsRecords.net & ask your local record shops to carry their releases… 1-800-40-INDIE gets them the info… you can check us out at www.LEFTforDEADslc.com … oh yeah: www.WorldHorrorNetwork.com