Tour bus upgrades, home cooked meals, and hot sauce that’ll make you slap your momma, it’s so good. We must be talking to The Convalescence.
Keith Wampler (Vocals), John Jones (Guitar), Caleb Jones (Guitar), Anthony Pearcy (Bass), Justin Dubay (Drums), and Katie McCrimmon (Keys) make up the Toledo, OH Death Metal/Death-core group, The Convalescence. Formed in 2011 and currently on the Ferocious Records label, the band has been touring almost nonstop in the last year all over the country. Coming off their recent Mayhem Fest show, Keith had a few minutes to share with National Rock Review. Excuse the make-up all over the place, he really does leave it all on the stage after a show.
NRR: What’s been going on with the band in the last year, to catch the Dirt Fest fans up to speed?
Keith Wampler: The Convalescence has been touring pretty much non stop since May 2014, including doing The Ground Zero Tour with As Blood Runs Black, Rings Of Saturn, Upon This Dawning, and Those Who Fear; The Back To The US Tour with Cryptopsy, Disgorge, Erimha, and Soreption; and The Civil Unrest Tour with Ill Nino, Straight Line Stitch, Motograter, The Bloodline, Thira, Lydia Can’t Breathe, and Darkc3ll. We will also being playing the Burgettstown, PA date of this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. We’re doing a lot behind the scenes and are working on a new album and some big announcements.
NRR: Hopefully you guys have a great time on stage this year. Are you looking forward to anything in particular at Dirt Fest 2015?
Keith Wampler: Just the chance to share the stage with so many great bands that we’ve all been listening to for years and to give our fans the chance to see us on such a huge stage.
NRR: I’ve been keeping tabs on the band’s travels, and I have to ask, how grateful are you guys when someone hands you a plate of home cooked food in between shows?
Keith Wampler: It’s amazing, it’s pretty much like Christmas morning as a little kid.
NRR: Is there any new music that we might get a taste of in your set for Dirt Fest this year?
Keith Wampler: Currently, we do have some new music done, but since we’ve been pretty much writing it on tour we haven’t had the chance to rehearse any of the new stuff. Plan on hearing music from “The Process” and “Unmasking The Betrayer” at Dirt Fest.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boxNlJqUSJ8]
The Convalescence – The Human Disease (Official Lyric Video)
NRR: Since we last talked, you got a nice upgrade from the old van to a bus. How has that worked out for you so far?
Keith Wampler: The bus has honestly made the amount of crazy touring this year possible. It’s not much more of a gas hog than our van and trailer was, and we were able to bring more gear, more luggage, a grill (which saves big time on money), more crew, and we can all actually lay down and stretch out.
NRR: What can we expect from the band after Dirt Fest is a dark, slithering dream of a sleeping metal giant, until 2016?
Keith Wampler: We do have more touring lined up after Dirt Fest and then some time at Vibe Studios, working with John Burke, on tracking a new album.
NRR: Is there a band or bands on this year’s Dirt Fest line-up that you are looking forward to seeing as fans?
Keith Wampler: Coal Chamber, Mushroomhead, King 810, and Upon A Burning Body, as far as the day we’re playing, but we’ll be there catching as many bands as we can both days.
NRR: How important is selling merch for a band like you guys at a festival like this, and have you ever left a show just completely sold out of everything?
Keith Wampler: Merch is everything for us at every show. If we don’t sell any merch there is a good chance we’ll have trouble making it to the next show and won’t be eating that night.
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NRR: For you guys, what is the magic between you and the crowds that come to see you night in and night out?
Keith Wampler: Our fans mean the world to us, without them nothing we do would be possible. We’ve been getting great reactions and support all over the country and are looking forward to going to see some of our overseas fans very soon.
NRR: Last I saw you, I got to try that mild hot sauce of yours. How did that whole deal go down and how can people grab a bottle for themselves after Dirt Fest?
Keith Wampler: I actually got contacted by the owner of the company. We had played their venue, Zakk’s Coffeehouse in Murfreesboro, NC, and they asked if we would be interested in putting out some The Convalescence hot sauce made by Capt. Catfish Sauces and once we tried the sample bottle we were all about it. It’s probably our top selling merch item and it tastes great. We eat it on everything.
The Convalescence
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Dirt Fest
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