Who's That Guy? Crooked Fang revealed!

You've seen him peering out at you from both of the Crooked Fang covers, on interview posts and promotional spots for the book, but he's remained nameless. Carrie Clevenger has kept his name under her hat for a whole year almost to the exact day, which was when the photo shoot was done down at an Austin bar, aptly named The Tavern.

The time has come to reveal his identity and close the mystery of Who IS that guy?

Meet Greg Enkler, a real bassist for a real Austin band, Powderburn. Yes ladies, he's the genuine article! To give you an idea of what Greg is like, I asked him a few questions.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Greg. How did you come to be the "face" of Crooked Fang’s Xan Marcelles?

Behind the scenes at The Tavern - Austin, TX

Well, let’s see… I’m originally from New York, a town called Carmel about an hour north of New York City. I’m Irish/German/Greek. I’ve been a musician literally my whole life. There are pictures of me at the age of 3, sleeping on a guitar case, who knew 30 years later I’d still be doing that?

Other than that, I play bass in my band Powderburn, I ride my motorcycle, I’ve become a pretty decent cook and I’m gonna be marrying the only girl who’s been able to put up with my shit for the last 10 years.

Becoming the “face” of Xan, that was pretty much a fluke. I almost turned it down because I thought they were kidding. But it literally took an email and a phone call to get me to do it.

When you heard "Vampire Bassist” what went through your mind? I heard your fiancée had a good laugh…

EVERYONE had a good laugh at that. I asked my band, my girlfriend (we don’t use the term fiancée… it’s entirely too French) my family, my boss at the warehouse I work in, they all just started laughing, like genuinely amused laughter. Not at the book, or the concept, but at the thought of ME being a “model” for anything. But as I started telling them, “well, he plays bass, rides a motorcycle, chain smokes, hides in the back of a bar and just wants to be left the fuck alone.” Everyone pretty much had the same reply… “So… it’s you.”

At one point I was asked if Carrie had been spying on me. The similarities started to get a little weird.

As far as what went through my head, literally the first thing I said was “I’m not gonna fucking sparkle… I want that in my contract.” Apparently that made Carrie laugh as well.

All the ladies want to know, is the motorcycle on the cover of Crooked Fang yours?

Yep. And honestly, it’s probably the part of this that I’m the most proud of. I actually got the bike in the book changed to the one I ride. I had taken it to the photo shoot because at the time it was my only mode of transportation. And when I pointed it out to Carrie, well, I guess she liked it enough to run with it.   

You did a great job capturing the character of Xan in your photos. What were you thinking while posing for those shots?

 Honestly, nothing. I hate having my picture taken in general. But I’ve also got a lot of experience doing photo shoots with my band. But sitting in a bar holding a bottle of booze, or a bass, it’s all pretty much a natural thing for me. The strangest part was the bike, cause I had never had a bike for any other photo shoots.  

Will you be on the cover of more Crooked Fang books?

             That’s the plan. We’re currently working out the details for the next shoot.

Author Carrie Clevenger and Greg Enkler

Have you read any vampire fiction? If so, did you like it?

           The sum total of the vampire fiction that I’ve read is the first chapter of Crooked Fang and the Just My Blood Type story. And I liked the Crooked Fang stuff so far, now that the book is out I can read the rest of it.

            



Was there any book you read as a child that made a big impression on you? Still does?

If you ask my mother, it’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Apparently I used that for every book report I ever had to do until I got to high school. Unfortunately, High School and my twenties cause my childhood memories to be a little hazy.

How long have you been in the band Powderburn?

Roughly 12 years. 

What made you choose bass?

It was half necessity, half inevitability. I was always trying to start a band, and could never find a bass player. So I would do it, just so I could get the band going. In reality, I was always supposed to be a bassist. Guitars just look too small on someone who’s 6’3”.

You write a lot of Powderburn’s music, do you play other instruments?

I do. I play drums, they were technically my first instrument. My dad quickly taught me guitar so he wouldn’t have to have a drum set in our tiny apartment. So I still play guitar, I’m no guitarist, I just play enough to write the main parts to songs I’m working on. I kinda sorta half ass play piano. You can hear the peak of my piano ability on our song The Lights Go Down. It’s not much to write home about.

Where can we buy Powderburn’s music?

All the main online places, iTunes, Reverbnation.com, Bandcamp.com, Amazon, and I’m sure there’s more.



Lightning Round:

Favorite song of the moment?

The kids who wanna play with the dead. – Lordi. If you haven’t heard this band, you need to.

Favorite male fronted band?

Iron Maiden

Favorite female fronted band?

Drain STH. Remember them?

Favorite bassist?

Mike Inez – he’s played with everyone. Alice in Chains/ Ozzy/ Slash...

Favorite guitarist?

Slash.

Favorite lyric?

“The highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive.” – Springsteen.

Favorite book?

Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential
Favorite movie?

The Boondock Saints or Goodfellas. Hard to choose.

Vodka or whiskey?

Whiskey – Specifically Jameson.

So tell us what's next for Greg Enkler? What's in the queue?

        Who knows? I know I’m up for the cover of the next book. Powderburn is slated to release some new music later this year. And I get married in May. Anything past that, I have no earthly idea. I’m not big on making plans.

Thanks Greg for coming by!
As Greg mentioned, Powderburn is available in many digital formats:

Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon
Powderburn's Facebook page


If you still haven't gotten your hands on a Crooked Fang book, check out crookedfang.com!

Girls,Guitars, and Fireworks? - Eric Anthony of Powderburn

Recently you may remember my review of Powderburn's EP One Fix. This band has some fantastic old-school metal elements without becoming cliché. They are on their way up that much is true.
On that note I am really pleased to welcome PB's lead guitarist Eric Anthony to the blog. He has graciously agreed to chat us up about what makes him tick.. you know beside the usual drink, women, and geetars. So let's just get with it shall we?

 Welcome Eric, glad to have you aboard!

 So tell me a little about Powderburn. How it came to be?

How did Powderburn form? I don’t really know since I was not a part of it then but some thing happened in an apartment in Jersey or here in Texas (as I have read on wiki) and then bam!!! Powderburn formed. There must of been some serious jamming or bro hugs cuz Powderburn has been going strong ever since.
 There are three original members right now: Ken Lockman (guitar/vocals), Greg Enkler(bass, vocals, pizza maker) & Joel Reyes(drummer, back up vocals) I joined in 2008 and it feels like its been 15 years of my life. There were a lot of member changes back in the day but this is now and who cares about then, right??

Who are the band's big influences? What is the writing process for the band like?

What is great about us is we have SO many influences. But we do agree one..Metallica. That has both pros and cons. Not every one of our songs sounds the same or has the same feel over and over. But writing sucks sometimes because there are four different ways we want the song to go and its hard compromising to just one. But we are good at letting the song take its own path and not shoe horning riffs just because..which I like to do,a lot. We all have a hand in writing but 95% of the time it's me or Greg with riff ideas or a whole song structure and then the others put in their two cents and then the song suffers because it's not the way I wrote it. So threaten to quit and then I get my way. I am the MVP! HA HA not really! I am a riff machine, some bad, but most good! ;) And Greg is a composing genius! He is real good at making the songs something that I would of never thought they could be and it usually sounds fukn kick ass! Joel just complains he doesn’t have a real drum set at practice and Ken writes music videos for the songs before he writes lyrics. Kind of backwards but I guess it works. Wait, we aren't famous yet, I guess it doesn’t. ;(

(greg enkler and eric anthony)

OK let's talk about you-What made you pick up the guitar?

“Stone Cold Metal” I was a HUGE Stone Cold Steve Austin fan back in the day. Anything he liked, I liked more. Kind of gay when you think about it now. haha. But he came out with a compilation CD of some of his favorite metal/rock songs. Scorpions, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Def Leppard, Accept, and one of my biggest influences, Dokken. But only because of George
Lynch. I hated Don’s voice. Like a camel making love to a terrorist or vice versa.

What kind of guitars do you use? 

 I play Jackson guitars through a Peavey 6505+ amp head. I love the look and feel of Jackson guitars. Very smooth and rugged at the same time. Does that make sense? fuk it, it does to me. I get certain tones and squeals out of my guitars that I can't seem to get with others. I want to eventually have my own line of Jackson guitars called “Jacksoff” HAHA get it??? I’m sorry if that was rude :(

 Who are your big personal influences?

I have four main influences: Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, & George Lynch. I broke my VCR from playing an instructional video of George Lynch from playing it EVERY single night so I could fall asleep. I also listen to a lot of pop stuff you might not expect. Lady gaga, Katy Perry, Rhianna, and even gangsta rap like Bone Thugz N harmony. I get a lot of arrangement and small riff ideas from listening to that stuff. And it's catchy as fuk, and there’s just no denying that.

 What do you do when not playing with Powderburn?

 I am a state licensed pyrotechnic! Fireworks, special FX, flame FX anything with fire or explosives, I am all about! I also off-road when I can in my jeep. Luxury to me, is dirt and mud. I used to race ATV’s but mine breaks all the time and I have no money to keep fixing it. I shoot guns with my family and LOVE LOVE LOVE Call of Duty! And I am a gym rat.

 Favorite fan moment? 
It's always an honor when there is a line at our merch booth to sign posters and stuff. Girls showing their boobs. Some good, some should never take their bra off ever again! EVER! But one of the most intense moments was in Laredo, TX. We played our first arena show with Korn and right after we got off stage we packed up and loaded in to Average Joe’s Sports bar. It was a pretty drastic change. Kind of, “back to reality” We were setting up for the official Korn after party. The show was absolutely nuts! There were about 250 people and it could barely hold 175. In the middle of the set I am playing a solo and all of a sudden my feet are not touching the stage. The crowd lifted me up and I was crowd surfing while playing my guitar solo. I felt like I was part of the crowd. They were so into it they decided to be part of the band themselves. BEST FEELING EVER! I am glad they didn’t flip me over, cuz I am sure I had a chub going. (Hope that’s not rude either) ;)  

Most embarrassing moment?

 I’m not typically embarrassed much. Falling down is usually what does it. I fell off stage completely one time. Thought the stage was a bit bigger, and I bit the dust. All you can do then is get back up, laugh, take a shot, and keep playing. But only in that order! Or the whole thing is ruined.

Whiskey or vodka?

JAGER!!!!!!!!

 If you could sit down to dinner with 5 historical figures who would they be and why?

 I don’t know if my list is technically “historical” but to be honest, eating with George Washington or some other dead boring dude just doesn’t seem like much of a party. And I love to party ;)
 1.Dimebag Darrell- No explanation needed for that one.
 2. Chuck Norris - was a big fan when I was a kid, and still am. And I want to pet his beard and shake his beard hand.
3. Leslie Neilson- one of my favorite actors of ALL TIME! Love every one of his movies and have always wanted to meet him.
4. Mikhail Kalashnikov - he invented the most famous gun of all time. And Russian accents are awesome.
5. (skinny)Anna Nicole Smith - She was my first love! And this dinner is starting to look like a sausage fest.

 Favorite books?

 What’s a book?

What's next for Powderburn? What can we look forward to?

We just released a brand new EP entitled “Come And Take It” It was produced by Aben Eubanks (guitar player for Kelly Clarkson). I know what you're thinking....WTF?!?! But the dude was pretty metal for being a vegan. Surprised all of us! And he knew what he was doing! We are about to hit the studio again with Sterling Winfield. He did the last two or three Pantera albums and the first 2 Hellyeah albums. We are giving up on doing a CD/album every year or every 2 years. It’s 2012 and the majority of people get their music online via iTunes, Google music, etc. So we will most likely be doing that from now on. Just keep an eye out on www.powderburn.net or on our facebook for updates and such. Hope I wasn’t too graphic in the interview and I thank you from the bottom of my little black heart for this interview!!! Thanks sooo much! -Ecrest out

Here's a bit of a teaser video for you all!

Thanks for dropping by, pleasure to chat with you.. come back anytime!

you can find the band here:

 www.powderburn.net
on twitter -@powderburn
 on facebook-
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Powderburn

you can get their music here!!

on bandcamp~
  http://powderburn.bandcamp.com/album/come-and-take-it
http://powderburn.bandcamp.com/album/one-fix

on iTunes~
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-fix/id336816634

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/come-and-take-it-ep/id520561880