10 Questions we ask every band...

Skin The Pig

1). What are the names of your members? 
Matt, John, Chris, Alex aka Egg, James and Stuart aka SJS.. 
 
2). When did you all get together? 
As a band we started in 2000 back In N.Ireland (so 12 years ago); as this line up is concerned only about 3/4 years.. Myself (Matt) and John being the only original members left.
 
3). How did you all meet? 
Just started in school and progressed from there really. John and I have been in the band pretty much from day one (john having a 'short' sabbatical in 2006 to focus on uni) meeting in  a metal Bar in Belfast called "the Venue." 
Where as the rest were recruited  over the years as replacements for people who had left or were 'ejected.'
SJS was found on the Satan's hollow message board (after our Designing the Enemy EP (2005), terrorizer score 8.5 ;o) ), many moons ago and has been here nearly 6 years; Alex and James followed shortly after (Just before our, The Ties that Bind EP (2008); Alex from the same message board as SJS and James being a friend of SJS. As for Chris he and I have been friends nearly as long as the band has existed (going to uni together) and joined, with john (again!) after our vocalist Angela left (about 3 years ago) 

4). How would you describe your music? –
 Melodic, Proggy, Metal and hardcore... or as one of reviews from a while back defined us “like flowers on a grave stone, bleak but beautiful” 
 
5). Who are your major influences? 
Darkest Hour, Deftones, Tool, Isis, Neurosis, Lamb of God, Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Poison the Well, Mogwai, Ever Time I die.
 
6). Complete the sentence: 
One day as a band we hope to… program our drummer like a drum machine so he will 1. be on time for practice and 2. wont stop half way through a song to tell you what you did wrong!
 
7). Why should people listen to your music? 
Because I was under the impression if I started a band we would be in mansions with guitar shaped pools by now... (looks around) nope def not a mansion and i don't have a guitar shaped pool! Times ticking people, get spending money!
 
8). What are your plans for the upcoming year? 
Get some more gigs sorted (we can be a lazy bunch at times and hopefully start writing a new album.. 3 songs down 7 to go!
 
9). What albums/EP’s have you released so far and where can people get hold of them? 
We have 2 demos (one of which we don't talk about much.. cough); 2 EPs and an album. The New album; Article XIX is on all digital distro sites (spotify, itunes etc) and you can buy solid copies from us at gigs or from our big cartel site. The 2 EPs and one of the Demos you can get from us for Free, either by email; and we will send you a copy or some MP3s; or by  coming to a gig and we will give you what ever CDs we have left (we are nice like that!
 
10). Finally – say something profound that will make everyone think: 
Got a story for you that i heard
 
Once upon a time there lived a stone cutter ,in a small village. All day long he worked hard, cutting the hard stones and making the shape which were needed by his customers. His hands were hard and his clothes were dirty. One day he went out to work on a big stone. It was very hard to work and the sun was very hot. After spending several hours cutting the stone, he sat down in the shade and soon fell asleep. After sometime, he heard sound of somebody coming. Walking up he saw a long procession of people. There were many soldiers and attendants and in the middle, in a palanquin, carried by strong people at the king . How wonderful it must be to be the great king thought the stone cutter . How happy I would be if i were the king instead of a poor stone cutter. As he said these words, a strange thing happened. The stone cutter found himself dressed in silk clothes and shining jewels. His hands were soft and he was sitting in a comfortable palanquin. He looked through the curtains and thought, How easy it is to be a king, these people are here to serve me.The procession moved on and the sun grew hot. The stone cutter ,now the king ,became too warm for comfort. He asked the procession to stop so that he could rest for some time .At once the chief of the soldiers bent before the king and said Your Majesty, only this morning you swore to have me hanged to death if we did not reach the palace before the sun set.The stone cutter felt sorry for him and ordered the procession to go on its way again. As the afternoon wore on, the sun grew hotter, and the king became more and more uncomfortable. I am powerful, it is true, but how more powerful the sun is, he thought I would rather be the sun than a king .At once, he became the sun ,shining down on the earth. His new power was hard to control. He shone too strongly, he burned up the fields with his rays and turned the ocean into vapour and formed a great cloud which covered the land. But no matter how hard he shone, he could not see through the clouds.
It is obvious that the clouds are even stronger and more powerful than sun said the stone cutter, now the sun, I would rather be a cloud. Suddenly he found himself turned into a huge dark cloud. He started using his new power. He poured rain down on the fields and caused floods. All the trees and houses were swept away but a boulder, which once he had been cutting when he was a stone cutter was unmoved and unchanged. However much he poured down on the stone it did not move.
Why that rock is more powerful than I am said the stone cutter now a cloud. Only a stone cutter could change the rock by his skill. How I wish I were a stonecutter. No sooner he said the words that he found himself sitting on a stone with hard and rough hands.He picked up his tools and set to work on a boulder, happily.