I got the chance to speak with Rattlesnake, which is an amazing rock band, which competed in the finals in Sydney this past December. They took some time to answer some questions for me, and they are really great guys, and as I discovered (luckily for me) they don’t bite. Take a read, and then find them on Facebook and listen to what they have to offer.


HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?


When we first started this band we wanted a certain style best described as Modern Rock which is musically influenced by the 70's and 80's. We are massive fans of classic hard rock but we also enjoy playing the heavier and dirtier riffs.


WHO WOULD YOU SAY INFLUENCES YOUR MUSICAL STYLE THE MOST?


There are a few bands that influence our music. They would be Guns and Roses, Steel Dragon, Audioslave, Bon Jovi. There are so many bands that each member listens to that we take influences from nearly everything that appeals to each member and combine it into Rattlesnake.


IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT SET YOUR BAND APART FROM THE OTHERS IN THE COMPETITION?


Well what sets us apart the most is our dedication to rock and roll. You don't hear any auto tune, nothing fake, you hear epic riffs, amazing guitar solos, a singer who has a 5 octave range, a drummer who smashes his kit and our epic bassist.


YOU RELEASED AN EP IN 2012, ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW? IF SO, WHEN DO YOU EXPECT IT TO BE RELEASED?


That’s correct, in 2012 we released a two song EP that we gave away for free. At the moment we are currently working on an album that is going to produced by us (The same as our EP) and that should be released in the next few months.


WHO IS THE SONGWRITER IN THE GROUP AND WHAT INFLUENCES THE WRITING STYLE?


When it comes to writing songs, we all come together share our ideas and if anything grabs our attention we work on that. Everyone contributes to all music sections and everyone writes the lyrics.


WHAT LED YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN EMERGENZA?


We saw an advertisement on the internet and we thought…"Why not?"


HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH EMERGENZA BEEN THUS FAR?


The experience with emergenza has been superb!, we had great feedback, great crowd support, excellent sound guys that gave us a killer sound. Overall we feel very satisfied.


WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE FOR EMERGENZA AGAIN?


We would definitely be willing to participate in Emergenza again.


DO YOU THINK THAT THE EXPERIENCE WITH EMERGENZA WILL INCREASE YOUR FAN BASE AND POPULARITY ON THE LOCAL LEVEL? OR EVEN ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL?


That is a tough question. Emergenza is one of the best ways for a musician to start out. They give bands the ability to play in venues that would be impossible to book when just starting out. It gives an excellent chance for bands to go out, sell tickets to the public and just get them in on this awesome competition. The only problem is however is whether or not they will remember you. With the introduction of the internet it is virtually impossible to build a fan base as they did in the old days, which was just playing at every bar in town and getting your name out there. Now a days it has to be that you are famous first and then the people will come and see you. It has come to now that bands have to be managed, advertised and sold using a large amount of money, and if people have heard about them on the internet then they will come out. So I'm not saying Emergenza will not increase our fan base, on the contrary we have made friends and fans that we will have for a long time, but in regards to nationally, i don't think it will bring a massive amount of exposure unless first we have a massive name for ourselves locally.


DO YOU HAVE A PRETTY LOYAL FAN BASE TO SUPPORT YOU AT LIVE SHOWS?


We do have a pretty loyal fan base but it wasn't always so. We began playing to just a handful of people. We aren't saying that everyone of our shows is like this, but we do get a decent turnout every time we play. Some nights are just better than others.


COULD YOU TELL ME HOW IT WAS TO PLAY AT THE METRO?


The metro theatre is an amazing venue, it has amazing sound, amazing stage amazing lights, when your up there you just feel like a rock star. We had never played there before and it was an experience we will never forget.