Sometimes Whiskey Mountain Machine singer/guitarist Keith Prince is shocked when he checks his metal band’s MySpace page.
“I see all the time, people from Spain, Chile, Berlin, England are jamming to music I came up with in Chesney,” Prince, 27, says. “It trips me out.”
Based in Spartanburg, Whiskey Mountain released its latest in a flurry of albums, “Battlecry,” in 2010. The disc is stuffed with titanium thrust and black howl. “Scream Revolution,” “High Horse” and “Nevershine” reveal Prince’s affinity for unwashed guitarists Zakk Wylde and Dimebag Darrell.
“It’s a notch heavier,” Prince says of “Battlecry.” “ I think it was 2009, man. It was a crazy year. Actually the past 10 years…the country’s been at war, gas prices, you name it. Just getting the frustration out in a good way.”
Whiskey Mountain, which includes guitarist Corey Porter and bassist Mitch Browder, is vying for the gig of a lifetime. Drummer Donnie Rash explains, via e-mail: “Kiss is letting 22 bands open 22 shows. We are trying to get on Charlotte. If you go to our MySpace, there is a widget that will let you vote once per e-mail (address).”
Hanging out in his bedroom, which is decorated with drawings and littered with guitars, Keith Prince spoke about Whiskey Mountain’s tight chemistry. Which probably will remain intact whether or not Gene Simmons and company call. “Those are the guys I hang out with, you know?” Prince says. “I talk to them everyday.”
Keith, what’s the last time one of the guys in the band turned you on to new music?
Just a few days ago Mitch gave me the new Rob Zombie CD. He gives me new music all the time.
Which metal band, whose members are all still living, would you like to see reunite?
I’d like to see Down, I don’t know if they’re broken up or not. They’re kind of on again, off again.
You mentioned Whiskey Mountain having MySpace fans from abroad. Why do you think metal has such a strong following in Europe and South America?
Maybe it’s the whole Western culture…they want to be part of it. It’s been like that for many bands. A lot of bands do better oversees than they do over here, especially in the genre we’re in.
How many guitars you think you’ve owned over the course of your life?
Probably 10. I think I’ve got seven or eight now. Most of them I’ve held onto, man.
Tell me about Whiskey Mountain’s acoustic side project, Popcorn Sutton?
Popcorn Sutton made moonshine in the mountains near Maggie Valley, N.C., and he was a local legend. He got caught with all his moonshine, was sentenced to prison and killed himself to keep from going to jail. We decided to name it after him, as a tribute. It’s a lot more laidback than Whiskey Mountain Machine is…it’s almost like outlaw country kind of stuff. We actually took some of the Whiskey Mountain songs and re-arranged them.
Which Whiskey Mountain songs worked best in that acoustic format?
A song called “Drink On” and one called "By My Side.”
I saw you guys are getting a new website together.
I’m not really big with computers and the Internet and all of that, most of the other guys in the band are. As far as our webpage goes, I just want it to look cool and be somewhere you can buy merchandise, T-shirts and all of that. An advertisement…because our deal is live, we’re a live band.
Whiskey Mountain Machine plays Gottrocks at 10 p.m. June 19 (with Six and Twenty). Cover is $6. For more information, call 864-235-5519 or visit www.myspace.com/whiskeymountainmachine.
