TODD LA TORRE AND ANNE CHAT ABOUT NEW QUEENSRŸCHE MUSIC AND MORE

Queensrÿche’s Todd La Torre misses the road when the band is off tour. After all, the gents of Queensrÿche are road warriors and spend weeks at a time touring the world with their progressive metal.

“We play quite a bit!” La Torre said. “There are times when you’re home for a while and you miss the band and your band family and playing music together on stage. I feel very thankful and fortune to be a part of this band.”

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Michael Wilton of Queensryche talks to Rock Scene about his very young years in San Francisco, moving to Seattle Washington and playing bass in garage bands while growing up. Eventually switching instruments with a guitar player, Michael began learning all that he could about the guitar. After high school, he attended the Cornish Institute of Allied Arts for a year and a half until running out of money, forcing him to take a job. In doing so, he met Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Chris DeGarmo. They started jamming and eventually put together a 4 song E.P. The only thing missing was a singer. Chris DeGarmo recruited Geoff Tate to lay his vocals down, and Queensryche was born.

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It’s Episode 13 of the Loudwire Podcast and our guests this time were Queensrÿche bassist Eddie Jackson and guitarist Michael Wilton! Masters of prog metal and truly down to earth guys, we got into a number of topics including their fresh reaction on the Grammy nominations, some history with the band as well as what’s on the horizon and our pick for the Best Metal Replacement Singer in our ‘Rocker vs. Writer’ debate. (more…)

I know you’re from Florida, especially in the Tampa area- that’s all death metal. Growing up were you a big death metal guy?

I wasn’t a huge death metal fan, but I can remember as a teen walking through a local mall and seeing the guys of Deicide. They were young! They weren’t even huge at that point. And they would walk around the mall and you know, all those bands- Death was from my area, I think Cannibal Corpse might have been from Tampa. But yeah, that whole death metal scene. I think Tampa is credited as its birthplace. So yeah, those were my influences. And then you know: Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche , Overkill, Testament, Slayer, Stryper- just a big mix of stuff like that.

Now being a drummer, primarily, when did you realize you had this amazing voice?

Oh gosh, I don’t know.

What, did it just come out one day when you were singing?!

I mean, I always loved to sing but I never sang in bands. I was always the drummer in bands. I didn’t think I was good enough.

Read the entire interview