Guitarist Dan Palmer Discusses zebrahead's III EP, BillyBio, Punk Rock Factory & Voodoo Glow Skulls Guest Spots (The Witzard Interview)
Dan "The Mustache" Palmer is a guitarist and guitar teacher originally hailing from Sheffield, UK and now calling Whittier, California home. Palmer has spent time playing with BillyBio (solo project of Billy Graziadei from Biohazard,) Consequence, CVVE, DEATH BY STEREO, his Slayer tribute band, Die By The Sword, EYELID, Fear No Empire, and zebrahead. Palmer is likely best known for his guitar-shreddin' contributions to both DEATH BY STEREO & zebrahead, which he's been part of since 1999 and 2010, respectively. Palmer's first album playing with DEATH BY STEREO was their sophomore album, Day of The Death (2001.) He toured with zebrahead initially in 2020 and 2012 and soon after, joined the band full-time as lead guitarist in 2013 first playing on their tenth studio album, Call Your Friends.
Palmer, also, co-wrote "Get Nice!" along with zebrahead during the making-of their 2011 album of the same name. Throughtout his career, Palmer has additionally contributed guest guitar licks to songs by Chaser, Punk Rock Factory, Ten Foot Pole, Tragedian, and Voodoo Glow Skulls. One of Palmer's most recent releases is III, a 5-song EP with zebrahead issued on their own MFZB Records. It's the band's first offering with their new singer, Adrian Estrella (Assuming We Survive, MEST, No Bare Feet) supplying lead vocals. zebrahead's III was released late last year, but but we just recently got a chance to speak with Dan Palmer himself. Check out our interview below, which has been lightly edited for general clarity. zebrahead's III is now available digitally on MFZB Records, along with an EP III Collection exclusively available from the band's Shopify store.
I. Who is part of the current line-up of zebrahead and how long have each of you been playing with the band?
Dan Palmer: Ali Tabatabaee, Ben Osmundson, [and] Ed Udhus have all been in the band since the beginning, Adrian Estrella has been in the band a year, and I have been playing with the band since 2010.
II. What would you cite as of the major sources of inspiration and influence behind zebrahead's latest EP, III?
Palmer: We get inspiration from so many different places and sounds. Sometimes, I'll be driving to the studio and I'll hear a song on the radio and I like the tempo of it, so I'll get out my metronome app and figure out the BPM of it. Then, put the click [track] up in the studio and try and write to it. It's a fun way to change up song-writing. "Homesick for Hope"'s main riff was written because I started playing the main riff of Slayer's "Disciple" in the studio and Ben asked me to write something in that style. "A Long Way Down" has a Bouncing Souls kind of vibe; fun Poppy Punk that's got a little edge. "Russian Roulette Is for Lovers?" was inspired by bands like La Pobreska & Ocho Kalacas. I've been hanging out with those dudes a lot and going to a lot of their shows.
They combine Ska, Punk, Metal, and Hardcore and they do it really well. So, that song is our take on that style. "Lay Me to Rest" is definitely different for us with the piano part in the song. Speaking for myself, the arpeggios on the chorus were kind of a Muse influence. The guitar solo was my homage to Weezer's Pinkerton record, which is one of my favourite records. "Out of Time" was kind of hard for us to decide on what we wanted to do with that song. It definitely is different for us, but we went with it because we really liked how it came out. It's one of the fun things about writing with zebrahead: we can be as adventurous as we want to be.
III. What were the typical writing, creation, production, etc. processes like for III? How did COVID-19 related restrictions affect these processes?
Palmer: At first, we would write demos on our computers and email them back-and-forth. That process got the creative juices cooking, but, eventually, we'd meet up all masked up and stay far away from each other when we'd write. It took a long time to get through it.
IV. What is the significance behind the artwork for zebrahead's III EP and companion "A Long Way Down," "Out of Time," and "Lay Me to Rest" singles?
Palmer: Our friend, Chris [Killerartworx], came up with the artwork and we really liked how different it was. The art represents some of the dark imagery of the lyrics on the EP.
V. How did you guys initially go about finding your newest member and singer Adrian Estrella?
Palmer: I used to bartend at a bar called Friar Tuck's [Bar & Grill] in Pomona, California years ago and Adrian's band would play there sometimes. We'd chat and have shots while I worked there. I saw that he was a great singer, hard worker, and all-around great guy, so I asked the band to check him out. They thought he would be a good match, so I asked Adrian to meet me at Hooter's to have a chat. We ended up having shots and beers and asked if he'd be interested in singing for us. He said "yes" and we started writing not long after.
VI. Prior to your joining zebrahead in 2010, what would you deem your favorite release from the band you didn't play on?
Palmer: I would say I probably liked Phoenix (2008) the most. The old song I like the most is "Falling Apart."
VII. Why do you think zebrahead has such a large following in Japan?
Palmer: The band started getting radio play [there] right from the first record, so the band has been loved for a long time there. It's such a beautiful place to go to, so I'm glad the band has put so much work in there. Getting to go there often is such a fortunate thing. It never gets old and I feel so lucky to get to experience the things I do there.
VIII. What's tentatively planned next for both zebrahead and the band's own MFZB Records?
Palmer: We're working on new songs. We're going to release another EP, which is sort of like the second part to III. We've been writing a lot of songs lately. Most of them are mediocre, but there's a couple of good ones in there. The label is signing Limp Bizkit and releasing their new record... just kidding! The label only does zebrahead stuff.
IX. What's the story behind your appearance on "Livin' The Apocalypse" from Voodoo Glow Skulls' 2021 album of the same name? They have a new singer, as well, correct?
Palmer: Efrem Schulz is their new singer and I know Efrem from being in DEATH BY STEREO with him for many years. I know the Voodoo [Glow Skulls] guys and they're really cool and talented. They hit me up to come play a solo with them for their new record at their studio. I was definitely honored to be asked. I like playing solos on my friends' records.
X. How did you get to meet Punk Rock Factory and end up playing guitar on "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?" & "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from their Disney covers album, A Whole New Wurst?
Palmer: They asked me to record those solos over Instagram and it was intense COVID time, so I had to record those at home. I'm not very good at engineering, so when I record my solos or any guitar stuff I have to do, [I] record the whole thing in one take. I don't know how to punch in when I record, so it took me a few times to get them together. I finally got to hang out with those guys at Slam Dunk Festival and they were really nice.
XI. What would you recommend as your Top 5 beard/mustache grooming and styling tips for the well-groomed, yet rugged modern man?
Palmer: Top 5? I don't even have five grooming tips to give. I wash all the whiskey and other fun things out of it with shampoo. I wait until it dries to put wax in it. That's pretty much it. I, also, try and make sure people don't touch it. Especially, at bars; people don't wash their hands when they're drinking. Damn dirtbags!
XII. When can we expect to hear new music from DEATH BY STEREO, Fear No Empire, Die By The Sword, CVVE, and/or BillyBio?
Palmer: DEATH BY STEREO is taking a break for a while. Fear No Empire is starting to work on new music again. We've been so busy focusing on zebrahead that is been hard to write for Fear No Empire [with Ali Tabatabaee, Ben Osmundson & Mike Cambra]. Die By The Sword is a Slayer tribute band, so unless Slayer releases new music, that ain't happening. CVVE is releasing music currently, which is cool. BillyBio has a new record coming out March 25th and it's called Leaders & Liars. We just filmed a video recently for it. Thanks for the interview and see you at the bar!
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