SILENT CIVILIAN INTERVIEW
June 8, 2006

Ed Martin for Prophecy21.com: How has the tour with Ill Nino been going so far?
Jonny Santos Vocals and Guitar for Silent Civilian: It's been awesome, fuckin really cool.
Chris Mora Drummer for Silent Civilian: Lots of Drunken BBQs.

P21: You guys just recently did your first national tour how did that go?
JS: That first national tour with Nothingface was a really good first tour. It really broke us in.

P21: Have the crowd reactions been everything that you guys hoped?
CM: Hell yeah it's been going off!
JS: Kids have been really receptive to us and when we come out they're just like, 'Cool, who am I swinging at first?'

P21: Are you looking forward to starting the tour with Drowning Pool after this?
JS: Yes, very good friends of mine, I've known those guys for years. When I was in Spineshank we actually took them out before they were signed. I was really close with Dave and all those guys. Ya know, they've got Ryan now, so hopefully things will really start cranking for those guys again.

P21: Jonny, was pulling double duties in this band something you had planned on doing, or is it just how things ended up happening?
JS: Well, being a guitar player for thirteen years before I was ever a singer, and being the guitar player and singer is Spineshank when we first started, it's actually more comfortable for me. I feel closer to my band and I feel more a part of the machine that I'm singing over. I'm a guitar player at heart, ya know. It can be challenging at times, but it's fun as all hell.

P21: After the success of Spineshank do you feel like there's some added pressure with this band?
JS: Actually, I feel like there is hardly any pressure with this band. Chris and I started this band with no expectations, you know? Lets play some music, lets have a good time, whatever happens, happens. Shit man, the band takes off, it takes off. If it doesn't, at least were havin fun.

P21: When did you guys form this band?
CM: January 2nd of last year, because we took New Year's off to party.

P21: For the people who haven't heard the album yet, how would you describe it?
JS: Like cutting you grandma up into little pieces (in dark evil voice). (Laughs.) Nah, it's a modern thrash record.
CM: Yeah, it's heavy, it's melodic, it's something for everybody. It's a roller coaster, man. A good fuckin metal record, I think.

P21: How'd you come up with the name for the band?
JS: Well we didn't want to sound like every other band out there right now like; bleeding, dying, tomorrow, rivers. I was just like, there's so many people out there that are chicken shit about voicing their own opinion because of what people might say or how people might judge them. Just like stupid idiotic shit, have some balls, have an opinion. So it's like we live in a society of silent civilians. Ya know because people are afraid of being put down for their beliefs. People are raised from day one to have a certain opinion and believe in certain things and when it comes down to it their just not thinking for themselves.

P21: How about the title of the album?
JS: Rebirth of the Temple. It's kind of symbolic because of what I had to go through to start this band. Just like leaving Spineshank and having to start all over with nothing. Going through a lot of trials and tribulations and as a person, being strong enough to fuckin start doing this again. Ya know I lost everything. I was practically homeless when I left Spineshank. It was just about knowing that shit happens in life and you've really got to be able to dig down and find that strength to move forwards. You're always gonna have scars, but there's so much that you can still do, ya know.

P21: What's your favorite track to play live off the album?
CM: Probably Funeral or Divided, but we haven't been playing Divided on this tour.
JS: Dead to Me for me, I love playing that song live.

P21: How did the video shoot for Rebirth go?
JS: It was awesome. It was fuckin fun! We basically shot it at my dad's house, the house I grew up in, called up a bunch of our friends, fired up the BBQ, got a keg and let the cameras roll. It's on Headbanger's Ball now.

P21: What bands have you guys been listening to lately?
JS: Johnny Cash, Dixie Hustlers, we've been listening to some red neck shit lately (laughs).
CM: Someone just gave me the new 36 Crazyfists so I've been checking that out.
JS: I have to listen to Death Angel at least once every couple of days.
CM: Metallica always finds its way in, Ride the Lightning, Kill 'Em All. We listen to some weird shit too though. The Postal Service, like some of that mellow shit. Portishead.
JS: You can't listen to just metal ya know, we've got to play it every night.
CM: Yeah and on like eight hour drives you can't just listen to eight straight hours of metal especially with traffic you would just wanna flip over this RV and scream.

P21: Are there any shows you remember from when you were younger as one of the best shows that you've been to?
JS: For me one of the best shows I ever saw was Metallica and Ozzy on the Master of Puppets tour. That was fuckin' it for me. I was like ten or eleven years old and it was just like fuckin ahhhhhhhhh!
CM: I'd have to Ja Rule, man(laughs). No, I don't know. Slipknot was one of my favorites. Spineshank and Mudvayne I used to love. Was always at all their LA shows. Probably with like all the theatrics I'd say Rob Zombie. I saw him I think with Korn, I don't even know, I won tickets off the radio. There was just so much shit going on on the stage, it was like a huge production.

P21: What got you into metal?
JS: For me it was my cousin. He was a metal head, he was a couple years older and he'd be like, "Dude, here man you got to listen to this bro." Actually he wasn't necessarily a metal head, but he listened to like Zeppelin and Rush and Sabbath. Heavy rock ya know, shit like that. It was like a one thing leads to another kind of thing. First I heard Zeppelin then Sabbath and it was like whoa what's this shit all about.
CM: I've always been into metal ever since day one. It's cooler then all other genres of music anyways. It totally is. I can remember being like eleven and telling my mom, "I'll never fucking sell out," giving her the devil horns and shit and her being like, "You don't know what you're talking about." Still to this day I have a shirt that says "Fuck the Mainstream" that is a stage shirt I still wear, not right now though cause it smells too bad. I've always been into metal though, I also listen to off the wall shit too, like trance with crazy bass and shit, and rap of course. I listen to pretty much all facets of music, except modern country. I don't mind some old country like Johnny Cash and shit.

P21: Are there any bands in particular that you guys haven't gotten a chance to play with that you'd like to?
JS: Metallica, hahaha. I'd like to see this band out with like Lamb of God, Shadows Fall. In Flames would be a rad fuckin tour. I'd really like to see us out with some bands of our genre that would help get us out to a bigger audience that wouldn't probably normally see us. This tour is a pretty musically diverse tour. I think the closest band to us on this tour is probably God Forbid, like they're probably the only one with some thrash elements and guitar solos and that kinda shit. So that's been good for us. Their kids have been feeling us it seems.

P21: Thanks guys, that's it, unless you have anything you'd like to add?
JS: Get our record! If you come to the show, bring us booze.
CM: Fuck the mainstream! Tell your Parents! Thank you.
JS: And Chris wants hot sluts.
CM: Yeah I like blondes.