-Hello everyone, before starting with the actual interview, can you introduce yourself to the readers?
My name is Jay, stage name Venomous
- Can you tell us about your musical project and how it was born?
Lenax is a solo black metal band with collaborators. The genesis was really ten years of "one of these days I'll start a band" followed by "screw it let's do this". And I would say the same thing to the next person, whatever your passion is. Take that first step!
- How did you think of your name? Can you retrace the genesis and the meaning of it?
It's a play on my last name. It actually started as a Dungeons and Dragons character, inispired by the fact that the game's creator Gary Gygax would jumble of the letters of his name for a character or a place.
- What are your influences and who inspired you?
Within black metal I loved the early passion and influence of bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone, then really latched onto other bands such as Immortal and 1349. Having music that is dark, heavy, and emotional is a key part of the genre. I hope to do the same.
- Tell me your favorite bands, for each member of the group?
Might sound like standards but bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Anthrax all still have heavy rotation, and I would consider lifelong favorites.
- How do you compose your songs?
I start with drumms and a riff. I daydream. I improvise. I find a theme I am trying to convey in lyrics and attempt to get that into a sound. Sometimes this means revision, sometimes it means scrapping a song entirely, that is all part of the process.
- Tell us about your first live experience and your most recent!
First experience was an open mic night at a "blues jam" when I was in my young 20's! Absolutely thrilling experience, playing lead gui=tar and singing for the first time.
Most recently was a few years at this point, but was a complete rock and roll experience. Wasn't in a metal band, but I played a small festival, about I think it was five shows over the course of five days. The whole band was very professional, and the audience reaction was spot on. I went through a job and life change afterwards that I allowed to distract me from music, but I remember that show vividly.
Have you ever had "stage anxiety"? Do you have any suggestions for newbies?
Absolutely. I would say house shows are perfect starters. Audience tends to be a combination of other small musicians and their friends, so it is a welcoming environment.
- What do you think of your fans? What is the strangest anecdote related to them?
I absolutely love the fan reactions we've had in a short time. I think the strangest anecdote is when I made a comment on another artist who had a similar name to mine, and now we are talking about a collaboration EP. Details on that one are sealed shit for the time being!
- Before concluding, we leave room for you to add the last few things!
Thanks for having me! I work full time, do music for sometimes just 30 minutes a day, but I am seeing what happens with consistency. I know a ton of people who want to try a new creative hobby "one day". Might be music, might be art, might be taking a road trip. Embrace life, live it, do what you are passionate about, and never look back and say you wished you would have!
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