All Interviews
Killers By Trade
Clint Love
Posted on Sep 10, 2005
by Anders
Killers By Trade is a one-man band from Texas, lead by Clint Love known from his abominations in Finsternis (RIP). He has so far released 3 great demos/singles and are soon ready with an EP. KBT delivers horror inspired rock with a dark and suiting atmosphere, gripping and eerie, which sucks the listener into the void known as Killers By Trade. I hooked up with Clint on a hot Texas day and got him to answer my questions.
Hails Clint, how are things in Texas?
Hotter than fuck. Last 2 weeks it's been in the 100s! My boots are melting to the concrete.
Last time I talked with you, you were a part of the horde Finsternis, what has happened with that band?
We played our last show on Halloween 2002. The full length never got released and the members all have gone separate ways. In other words it was pretty much a disaster. Finsternis was all about causing chaos and I've always said we were more of a cult than a band. A couple of us got together and practiced recently so we are all on good terms but too much has changed. That's the trouble with playing in a 4-person co-op type band. The good news is that since I started my publishing company, there's talk about the CD getting released on my label so we may have a posthumous CD release.
Now you're on your own in the band Killers By Trade, what can you tell us about that band?
Basically the band is me. I record the stuff in my house and then take it to a studio to mix and master the tracks. Then I press it and publish it on my label. Killers by Trade are more of an industrial/gothic rock project with some classic metal overtones ala Black Sabbath but my metal background is evident in the way the sound is approached. It's all about tales of horror; the rustic and modern types of folklore that appear in our lives and make us wonder how absurd the world can really be. The music itself is all about simplicity, making something powerful and direct that makes you bang your head.
How and when did you get the idea for Killers By Trade?
I was originally going to start a cover band to play some heavier, darker rock songs and make some cash. I had some venues that would pay and I planned to mix in some of my originals with the covers and gradually change to playing all original songs. I recorded a couple of tunes on a 4 track and mastered them onto CD. Long story short, I could never find a band that just wanted to play shows and get paid. They all wanted to be rock stars or be part of the writing, which was definitely out of the question, so I shelved the project. Later I played the songs for Kuester (my brother and former Finsternis drummer) and he said, "Why don't you just keep recording the songs yourself and release them like that? The music is good enough so fuck having a band". I took his advice and that's what I did.
How long did it take to get the band going and write the first music?
Writing the music really isn't the hard part. I usually have the lyrics and a fundamental melody in my head. I can beat that stuff out with just an acoustic guitar and me singing in a few minutes. It does take a bit of time to track drums and make it all work with 2 electric guitars and bass. I play all the instruments myself so I never get to hear it all together until its tracked. Sometimes its rubbish and has to be changed completely. Then once I have a product I'm OK with, I have to get it into the studio and pressed.
What would you like to accomplish with Killers By Trade?
Soon, I'd like to get a live band together and start doing some shows. The new EP is about to go into the studio so hopefully it will be released by the end of September. I've been experimenting with some cover songs, twisting up old songs and doing 'em KBT style. That will be a big part of it at first, allowing the band to play more sets so we can get better venues.
How did you end up with that exact band name, were there other names in the picture as well?
I got it from a movie called "Man Bites Dog". The main character is a serial killer and thief who introduces himself as a "killer by trade". Other names I kicked around were Dead All Day and Loup Garou (also a song title)
You have so far released 3 2-track demos, how have they been received?
The real surprise was "Pub Wolves Of London". I covered 'Werewolves Of London' by Warren Zevon and people just go ape-shit for that song. All of the CDs have been given good reviews but people talk about that one the most.
How do you feel about them?
I see those 3 singles as an experiment. I needed to know how people were going to categorize the music and what challenges I was going to face. At first they were there to help me choose a direction, but when "Ancient Rider" (the new EP) is released, I'm going to use the old singles as promos for the new release since two of the songs from the singles will be on the EP.
What do you expect from them?
As far as I'm concerned, the 3 singles have served their purpose well and I don't plan to press another batch. I guess people reading this should try to get whatever is left while its still there. The new EP will carry the standard until the next release comes out.
Will you go through the tracks and tell a bit about how you got the ideas for them, how the recording went and what you want to tell with them?
'Loup Garou' tells a story of a werewolf rampage in a rustic setting. I got the idea while reading a Montague Summers book. The lyrics actually won a contest at a local college a couple of years back as a poem but were heavily censored. It must have been for the imagery, (Red eyes in the church yard, red fangs in your children etc.) because there is nary a "shit" or a "fuck" in the whole song. 'Steel' is the tale of a serial killer. In mediaeval times serial killers were often mistaken for werewolves because of the ferocity of the attacks and were even executed under those charges. I consider rock music to be modern folklore so it fit perfectly. The covers, 'Night Prowler' by AC/DC and 'Werewolves Of London' were really just added to support the themes of the second 2 singles.
You are also working on your first "real" release, a mini album, when will that be ready and what can you tell about it?
"Ancient Rider" will be a 5 song EP with 4 originals and a new cover song. 'Loup Garou' and 'Steel' will both be on there along with 2 new ones. One is a story of a pagan fire festival called 'Solstice'. The other new one is called 'Tears Of Broken Glass'. It’s a super heavy motherfucker that hearkens to my extreme metal background. Some might say it's too heavy or doesn't fit with the style of the other songs. I say, "It's my band and I'll release what I want dammit"! Good stuff! Industrial double bass bashing and vocals like "Blood Ritual" era Samael.
What do you expect from that release?
I can only hope that this one has the same legs as "Pub Wolves Of London" did. It's going to have to carry the KBT standard for quite awhile. The release after that one is going to be all acoustic, just something I've wanted to do, but it takes time."Ancient Rider" is going to have to hold the headbangers over until the full length comes out. Acoustic songs have their own power and appeal but they are not for everyone.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
If not from the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life and the poetic war of attrition that the world continues to wage on us, I get it from books I read.
Do you have to be in a certain mood to write music or does it just flow?
The music itself seems to flow within nature and just makes itself evident. I know a bit about theory and orchestration and it helps when it comes to fleshing out songs but the real music just seems to spring up at odd times and take over my mind.
How would you describe a normal writing session for you?
Usually I'm somewhere with no access whatsoever to instruments and a song appears. I go nuts finding a pen and write lyrics on whatever or whoever I can find. Then I fidget and curse because I don't have a guitar around until I finally make it home, sometimes hours later. I grab a guitar and try to bash it out, hoping I can remember and then I plunk at it for an hour or so and see if it will work. If it does, I file it into the back of my brain and practice it whenever I get the instruments out. Assuming it doesn't suck and I don't forget it, I write drums, leads and a bass part and it becomes a song.
Can you mention 3 bands and 3 songs that have meant a lot to you as a person and to you as a musician/songwriter?
Bands- Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and the Plasmatics
Songs, That's a tough one, I think 'Phantom Of The Opera' by Iron Maiden was a big deal when I heard it. It really made an impression on what it meant to write a metal song. One of the first songs I ever learned to play was 'Deaf Forever' by Motörhead. There's a lot of KBT in that song actually. I guess if I compared Finsternis to Iron Maiden, KBT would be Motörhead. Even though I'm not what you’d call a big Rolling Stones fan, their song 'Paint It Black' has stayed in my mind ever since I first heard it. I've covered it in every band I've played in so when I finally get into the studio with a live band and more time for perfecting a sound you can expect to hear a KBT version. I'm not being conceited but other than the Stones' Aftermath original version of that song, the only other version I like is my own. There's a darkness that really has to be present to do that tune and as of yet no one I've heard do a cover of it has enough hatred in his or her heart to get a pass from me. To make that song believable you really have to be a world-hating son of a bitch.
How would you describe a perfect song?
"Beat on the brat…beat on the brat…beat on the brat with a baseball bat…OH YEAH"!, Ha Ha!!
What is important for you to hit in your songs?
People who get too close to the stage.
What do you see as the most important element of your songs?
The story! That's where the real meat of a rock song is. The music has to hypnotize and the lyrics have to tell the tale. The rhythm enforces the points of the story. Rock, metal, whatever, songs are an oral history tradition and history is stories.
What would you like to tell with your music and songs?
That depends on the focus of the song in question. Often it's a cautionary tale, like 'Steel', from the point of a killer. This is how I understand the way they think. The warning is present behind the story itself. In 'Loup Garou' the chorus begins, "Don't get caught on the moor tonight…". Good advice even today.
Do your lyrics have a message?
Yeah. "If you read them and think they're sick, imagine what would happen if the mind that created them lost its ability to cope. If I didn't have music to keep me busy, I'd have a stack of bodies in my basement".
Will you tell a bit about your lyrics?
Unfortunately, when I'm most creative it's often when I've sunk into a black haze of morbid depression so they're not very bright and sunny. I wrote 'Tears Of Broken Glass' after putting a .45 to my head and cocking the hammer back.
Have you ever thought of getting a real band together for Killers By Trade?
Definitely in the future. It's just one of those things where the stars have to be in alignment and the sacrifice goes well before I put it into action.
How do you look upon the future of Killers By Trade?
I'm curious to see how it develops. I'm almost a split personality when I do music so anything is possible.
There have been some rumours of Finsternis getting back together, what do you have to say concerning that matter?
Highly unlikely at this point. I was hoping, but there have been some recent developments that have put the final stake through the heart of that one. That is not to say there won't be some sporadic releases from various members and even a brief alliance with some old friends of the Dread Moon Clan.
Which albums have you been listening a lot to lately?
URN "Desecrated Ashes", G.G. Allin "Expose Yourself", Morgoth "Cursed" and Nick Cave "Let Love In".
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to do it now!
The reason I'm not a suicide statistic and the reason why I have KBT is a message I cannot preach enough. I decided to say fuck everything else and do what makes me happy. You may not get rich or famous doing it, but if you don't you might as well hang it up right now because you're pissing your life away. Find what you love, get on it and DO IT!! Anyone gets in your way, stomp 'em! When your boot is on their face tell em Clint Love sent you.
Hotter than fuck. Last 2 weeks it's been in the 100s! My boots are melting to the concrete.
Last time I talked with you, you were a part of the horde Finsternis, what has happened with that band?
We played our last show on Halloween 2002. The full length never got released and the members all have gone separate ways. In other words it was pretty much a disaster. Finsternis was all about causing chaos and I've always said we were more of a cult than a band. A couple of us got together and practiced recently so we are all on good terms but too much has changed. That's the trouble with playing in a 4-person co-op type band. The good news is that since I started my publishing company, there's talk about the CD getting released on my label so we may have a posthumous CD release.
Now you're on your own in the band Killers By Trade, what can you tell us about that band?
Basically the band is me. I record the stuff in my house and then take it to a studio to mix and master the tracks. Then I press it and publish it on my label. Killers by Trade are more of an industrial/gothic rock project with some classic metal overtones ala Black Sabbath but my metal background is evident in the way the sound is approached. It's all about tales of horror; the rustic and modern types of folklore that appear in our lives and make us wonder how absurd the world can really be. The music itself is all about simplicity, making something powerful and direct that makes you bang your head.
How and when did you get the idea for Killers By Trade?
I was originally going to start a cover band to play some heavier, darker rock songs and make some cash. I had some venues that would pay and I planned to mix in some of my originals with the covers and gradually change to playing all original songs. I recorded a couple of tunes on a 4 track and mastered them onto CD. Long story short, I could never find a band that just wanted to play shows and get paid. They all wanted to be rock stars or be part of the writing, which was definitely out of the question, so I shelved the project. Later I played the songs for Kuester (my brother and former Finsternis drummer) and he said, "Why don't you just keep recording the songs yourself and release them like that? The music is good enough so fuck having a band". I took his advice and that's what I did.
How long did it take to get the band going and write the first music?
Writing the music really isn't the hard part. I usually have the lyrics and a fundamental melody in my head. I can beat that stuff out with just an acoustic guitar and me singing in a few minutes. It does take a bit of time to track drums and make it all work with 2 electric guitars and bass. I play all the instruments myself so I never get to hear it all together until its tracked. Sometimes its rubbish and has to be changed completely. Then once I have a product I'm OK with, I have to get it into the studio and pressed.
What would you like to accomplish with Killers By Trade?
Soon, I'd like to get a live band together and start doing some shows. The new EP is about to go into the studio so hopefully it will be released by the end of September. I've been experimenting with some cover songs, twisting up old songs and doing 'em KBT style. That will be a big part of it at first, allowing the band to play more sets so we can get better venues.
How did you end up with that exact band name, were there other names in the picture as well?
I got it from a movie called "Man Bites Dog". The main character is a serial killer and thief who introduces himself as a "killer by trade". Other names I kicked around were Dead All Day and Loup Garou (also a song title)
You have so far released 3 2-track demos, how have they been received?
The real surprise was "Pub Wolves Of London". I covered 'Werewolves Of London' by Warren Zevon and people just go ape-shit for that song. All of the CDs have been given good reviews but people talk about that one the most.
How do you feel about them?
I see those 3 singles as an experiment. I needed to know how people were going to categorize the music and what challenges I was going to face. At first they were there to help me choose a direction, but when "Ancient Rider" (the new EP) is released, I'm going to use the old singles as promos for the new release since two of the songs from the singles will be on the EP.
What do you expect from them?
As far as I'm concerned, the 3 singles have served their purpose well and I don't plan to press another batch. I guess people reading this should try to get whatever is left while its still there. The new EP will carry the standard until the next release comes out.
Will you go through the tracks and tell a bit about how you got the ideas for them, how the recording went and what you want to tell with them?
'Loup Garou' tells a story of a werewolf rampage in a rustic setting. I got the idea while reading a Montague Summers book. The lyrics actually won a contest at a local college a couple of years back as a poem but were heavily censored. It must have been for the imagery, (Red eyes in the church yard, red fangs in your children etc.) because there is nary a "shit" or a "fuck" in the whole song. 'Steel' is the tale of a serial killer. In mediaeval times serial killers were often mistaken for werewolves because of the ferocity of the attacks and were even executed under those charges. I consider rock music to be modern folklore so it fit perfectly. The covers, 'Night Prowler' by AC/DC and 'Werewolves Of London' were really just added to support the themes of the second 2 singles.
You are also working on your first "real" release, a mini album, when will that be ready and what can you tell about it?
"Ancient Rider" will be a 5 song EP with 4 originals and a new cover song. 'Loup Garou' and 'Steel' will both be on there along with 2 new ones. One is a story of a pagan fire festival called 'Solstice'. The other new one is called 'Tears Of Broken Glass'. It’s a super heavy motherfucker that hearkens to my extreme metal background. Some might say it's too heavy or doesn't fit with the style of the other songs. I say, "It's my band and I'll release what I want dammit"! Good stuff! Industrial double bass bashing and vocals like "Blood Ritual" era Samael.
What do you expect from that release?
I can only hope that this one has the same legs as "Pub Wolves Of London" did. It's going to have to carry the KBT standard for quite awhile. The release after that one is going to be all acoustic, just something I've wanted to do, but it takes time."Ancient Rider" is going to have to hold the headbangers over until the full length comes out. Acoustic songs have their own power and appeal but they are not for everyone.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
If not from the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life and the poetic war of attrition that the world continues to wage on us, I get it from books I read.
Do you have to be in a certain mood to write music or does it just flow?
The music itself seems to flow within nature and just makes itself evident. I know a bit about theory and orchestration and it helps when it comes to fleshing out songs but the real music just seems to spring up at odd times and take over my mind.
How would you describe a normal writing session for you?
Usually I'm somewhere with no access whatsoever to instruments and a song appears. I go nuts finding a pen and write lyrics on whatever or whoever I can find. Then I fidget and curse because I don't have a guitar around until I finally make it home, sometimes hours later. I grab a guitar and try to bash it out, hoping I can remember and then I plunk at it for an hour or so and see if it will work. If it does, I file it into the back of my brain and practice it whenever I get the instruments out. Assuming it doesn't suck and I don't forget it, I write drums, leads and a bass part and it becomes a song.
Can you mention 3 bands and 3 songs that have meant a lot to you as a person and to you as a musician/songwriter?
Bands- Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and the Plasmatics
Songs, That's a tough one, I think 'Phantom Of The Opera' by Iron Maiden was a big deal when I heard it. It really made an impression on what it meant to write a metal song. One of the first songs I ever learned to play was 'Deaf Forever' by Motörhead. There's a lot of KBT in that song actually. I guess if I compared Finsternis to Iron Maiden, KBT would be Motörhead. Even though I'm not what you’d call a big Rolling Stones fan, their song 'Paint It Black' has stayed in my mind ever since I first heard it. I've covered it in every band I've played in so when I finally get into the studio with a live band and more time for perfecting a sound you can expect to hear a KBT version. I'm not being conceited but other than the Stones' Aftermath original version of that song, the only other version I like is my own. There's a darkness that really has to be present to do that tune and as of yet no one I've heard do a cover of it has enough hatred in his or her heart to get a pass from me. To make that song believable you really have to be a world-hating son of a bitch.
How would you describe a perfect song?
"Beat on the brat…beat on the brat…beat on the brat with a baseball bat…OH YEAH"!, Ha Ha!!
What is important for you to hit in your songs?
People who get too close to the stage.
What do you see as the most important element of your songs?
The story! That's where the real meat of a rock song is. The music has to hypnotize and the lyrics have to tell the tale. The rhythm enforces the points of the story. Rock, metal, whatever, songs are an oral history tradition and history is stories.
What would you like to tell with your music and songs?
That depends on the focus of the song in question. Often it's a cautionary tale, like 'Steel', from the point of a killer. This is how I understand the way they think. The warning is present behind the story itself. In 'Loup Garou' the chorus begins, "Don't get caught on the moor tonight…". Good advice even today.
Do your lyrics have a message?
Yeah. "If you read them and think they're sick, imagine what would happen if the mind that created them lost its ability to cope. If I didn't have music to keep me busy, I'd have a stack of bodies in my basement".
Will you tell a bit about your lyrics?
Unfortunately, when I'm most creative it's often when I've sunk into a black haze of morbid depression so they're not very bright and sunny. I wrote 'Tears Of Broken Glass' after putting a .45 to my head and cocking the hammer back.
Have you ever thought of getting a real band together for Killers By Trade?
Definitely in the future. It's just one of those things where the stars have to be in alignment and the sacrifice goes well before I put it into action.
How do you look upon the future of Killers By Trade?
I'm curious to see how it develops. I'm almost a split personality when I do music so anything is possible.
There have been some rumours of Finsternis getting back together, what do you have to say concerning that matter?
Highly unlikely at this point. I was hoping, but there have been some recent developments that have put the final stake through the heart of that one. That is not to say there won't be some sporadic releases from various members and even a brief alliance with some old friends of the Dread Moon Clan.
Which albums have you been listening a lot to lately?
URN "Desecrated Ashes", G.G. Allin "Expose Yourself", Morgoth "Cursed" and Nick Cave "Let Love In".
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to do it now!
The reason I'm not a suicide statistic and the reason why I have KBT is a message I cannot preach enough. I decided to say fuck everything else and do what makes me happy. You may not get rich or famous doing it, but if you don't you might as well hang it up right now because you're pissing your life away. Find what you love, get on it and DO IT!! Anyone gets in your way, stomp 'em! When your boot is on their face tell em Clint Love sent you.
Killers By Trade website
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