ROCKET Interviews Travis Johnson Of FLATLINE

Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Travis: I was born in Sun Valley, California, and raised in Pacoima, California.

Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Travis: No. 2 brothers, 1 sister.

Rocket: What bands first drew you to heavy metal music?

Travis: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Ozzy.

Rocket: When did you first start singing in bands?

Travis: I started singing in Flatline about 5 years ago, prior to that I played bass for many L.A. based metal acts and came to the realization that I really needed an outlet to voice my life experiences and views and that is when I first picked up a mic.

Rocket: Who are some of your biggest vocal influences of past and present?

Travis: Some of my favorite vocalists to date are Dez Fafara, Phil Anselmo, Randy Blythe … pretty much any vocalist that actually has something to say, life experiences, religion or puts out a strong message in their lyrics, singing about fire and dragons doesn’t really do much for me… ha ha ha.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal voice lessons?

Travis: Trial and error is the way I learned to scream and after being in the business for a bit I realized that warm ups and vocal rest are truly the key to keeping your voice strong on long tours.

Rocket: Your band just released a new album via Stand And Deliver Records entitled “Pave The Way”. Your vocals are amazing! How many months of songwriting went into this record?

Travis: More than half of the songs were already written when we started pre-production for the record so that sped up the process for sure, but as far as a time frame as to how many months of songwriting went in to the record I would say somewhere around 9 months or so.

Rocket: Who produced the album?

Travis: Our guitar player Randy Weitzel produced the record, He did all of the prior demos and recordings leading up to recording the record… so we thought it just made since to have him to sit at the helm instead of someone that may not have the same vision that we have been crafting for years now… and I must say, he did a killer job!

Rocket: Where can fans go to pickup a copy?

Travis: Our distribution is now more wide spread you can pretty much go to any Hot Topic, Best Buy, f.y.e., Virgin, Hastings and of course you can go to www.myspace.com/flatlinemetal and go to our online store as well as the online sites like SmartPunk, Amazon, Rhapsody, Itunes etc. or come out to a show and pick one up from our merch booth!!!

Rocket: How did FLATLINE initially form as a band?

Travis: Tim Hassemer (drums) and the first guitar player Jason Thompson got in contact through the paper and began writing, They actually did the first demo with just the 2 of them. They were called SCARRED at the time, but through many years of evolution and life changes the line up is what it is today.

Rocket: When will you guys start writing for the next FLATLINE record?

Travis: We are currently in the process of writing new material as we speak … we are making a point to make this new record way more brutal and diverse than our debut album “Pave The Way”. This new record will be the first one that all the current members of Flatline will be involved in the entire writing and recording process, and we are super stoked to embrace and show our fans our new level of maturity.

Rocket: If you could play a show with any big time metal act, who would it be and why?

Travis: I would have to say DEVILDRIVER because those guys are just plain sick and Jon Miller (bass) is a buddy of mine and it would be a blast!

Rocket: Do you have a pre-show ritual before you go on stage?

Travis: I actually do, I like to find a dark corner, alleyway or parking lot and sit/stand in silence and realize why I am there and what I am there to do… this preps me mentally it is almost like meditating.

Rocket: How do you keep your voice in good shape throughout the year?

Travis: I drink plenty of water, take vitamins and pray to the Metal Gods… and beer does not hurt!

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What is the funniest (or most embarassing) thing that’s ever happened to you while performing on stage?

Travis: Three tours ago with In this Moment in Farmington, New Mexico I felt the need in the middle of the set to stand on the front monitor to look bigger than life but unfortunatly the monitor was not mounted well and it slipped out from under my feet falling backwards on my ass like a little girl in front of a huge audience… ha ha ha.

Rocket: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone picking up the microphone for the first time with the rock n roll dream in their head?

Travis: If you’re in it for the money don’t even reach for it, but if it is in your heart then give it everything you have because that is exactly what it is about. Being able to put your words and thoughts out there for the world to see is a blessing and you should treat it as such.

Rocket: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Travis: Doing an interview like this one but from the lounge in our luxury suite @ the staples center… Ha!

Rocket: What are some of the upcoming shows for FLATLINE that we need to watch out for?

Travis: Were playing @:

Angels in Corona, Ca. on July 10th.
The Vibe in Riverside, Ca. on July 18th.
The Gypsy lounge in Lake Forest, Ca. Aug. 1st

Be sure to check our myspace page as more shows are added constantly!

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking out this interview. Best of luck with it all. Go ahead and give a shout-out to your biggest supporters.

Travis: Of course we would like to give a shout out to Stand and Deliver Records for all the support, No Fear, Thunderdome touring, Fangoria musick, and every single metal head that supports us!

http://www.myspace.com/flatlinemetal