Interview with Daniel Williams

Catching The Devil Wears Prada on tour, Christina Tomaras interviews drummer Daniel Williams and finds out details about Plagues and their upcoming plans.

I am sure you’ve been asked this question a lot in the past, but what is the meaning behind the name The Devil Wears Prada?
I guess it’s non-materialism. Is that the right word? I don’t know. We took it from the book but we put our own spin on it. We are all followers of God… Basically, if the devil were walking around, he would be wearing Prada or Gucci, or some super expensive clothing just so he could go around and be like, “Yo! Check out what I’m wearing! I’m wearing this sweet stuff!” God, on the other hand, would be walking around wearing rags because he wouldn’t care. He’d be like, “You know what? I’m clothed; it’s all good. I am just as good as all these other people walking around.” That kind of the rough meaning. But I can’t be in a band called God Wears Gucci — I mean, God Wears Clothing, or God Wears Cloth. That wouldn’t be good!

How did The Devil Wears Prada come about and when?
About two years ago. James and I were talking about starting a new band, and eventually, I guess we went around on Myspace, AIM, and message boards, looking for people. Basically, it just ended up being our friends that we [found]. Mike came from church. James came from school. Chris came from shows. Jeremy and Andy came from Myspace.

Your new album was recently released; you must be stoked on that. Do you take the time to read reviews on your record? How has the feedback for the record been so far?
Haha, actually yes. I like to go online and search for reviews because usually they’re pretty bad, so it makes me feel awesome… sarcasm. Other than that, the feedback so far has been really good! It’s selling great and people are saying good things. Although, there are some pretty brutal reviews online about it, but I am pretty sure they’re from the latest metal kids that hate everyone and everything but death metal.

Is the feedback more positive with Plagues than it was with your previous albums?
From fans, yes. From reviews, probably not… Yeah!

For those fans who havent heard the new album yet, how would you describe it?
Really heavy, but really catchy… I guess. Haha.

How does Plagues differ from your previous album?
I guess it’s a lot more mature. But I guess every band says that, but we actually took time to write the songs and its a thousand times better recording quality and it’s just better musically in my opinion.

Is there anything at all that you would change about the new record?
Uhhh… I don’t know. I think we’re all really happy with it actually. Oh! There’s one part in “Scorpion Deathlock” that I can’t stand! It’s the part where there’s like… techno drums. I don’t know, but it’s retarded. It somehow made it to the final CD. After it came out, we all realized that it was a really bad idea. But apparently, people still really like that song.

Were there any certain life events or experiences that played an impact and shaped this album? Lyrically or musically?
Lyrically, I have no clue. You’d have to talk to Mike about that. Musically, listening to Circa Survive a lot influenced my drum parts. That’s about it.

Being placed on a bill with bands that all sound different from one another is sometimes hard for bands and creates mixed feedback. Do you think this is the case with your current tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Emery and Chiodos? For yourselves or for the other bands?
It’s pretty obvious that we are the heaviest band on this tour, and we are completely different from Scary Kids, Emery and Chiodos. But I think it actually helps us, because I think we actually stick out on the tour. I definitely think we are doing well and winning fans over.

What are a few things we should expect to see in the future in the world of TDWP?
Another CD, but I believe we are going to see if we can get on Warped Tour, but that’s not a promise. Definitely more touring. We’ll be around.

What are your goals and expectations in 2007/2008?
I want to sell 100,000 records. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a metal band it’s very good. I guess that’s my only goal, except for spreading the message of God.

When you’re not on the road, recording, or writing music, what do you all do to keep yourselves busy?
I play Lord Of The Rings Online — like, eight hours a day. I don’t really sleep because of that game. It’s kind of like World of Warcraft, but Lord Of The Rings-based, and it’s awesome! This goes to anybody reading this interview: If you have any free gold, free money, or items, I will gladly accept! I am on the SILVERLODE server. Contact me via Myspace!

Rumor has it that you just finished shooting a music video for a song off the new album. How did that go?
It was awesome, but it leaked onto the internet, so that sucks. But it’s premiering on Headbanger’s Ball on November 3rd, so check it out!

Can you let us in on anymore info on the video? What is the concept behind it?
It’s basically about this kid that accidentally shoots a bird, and the bird dies — or, at least, it bleeds everywhere. Then he prays for it, and it comes back to life. The end! It’s very simple!

It is always an experience to watch songs you hear through speakers come to life. The passion and liveliness that is displayed during your set is definitely something a lot of bands lack. What drives your enthralling stage presence?
I think it’s just the fact that we’re playing live. One, we just really get into our own music, which is pretty lame, but it’s fun. The other thing is that if you want to listen to a band exactly how it is on the CD, then you just listen to the CD. If you go see a band, you want to see the band do something awesome, so we just try to put on the best show possible.

Is stage presence something you guys have worked on?
Yeah, we used to be so awkward on stage! We don’t practice stage presence, it’s just from playing a lot of shows and we just eventually got better at it.

Last but not least — what is your favorite song to play live?
It’s called, “Don’t Drink And Drance.” It’s off the new CD. Track… I don’t know what track it is. I think track 5?

Interview by Christina Tomaras

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