Heavy Frequency: What are Devon Ferrara and Obsidian Shore up to?

Ferrara: We are doing a lot of writing, trying to create unique music and working on show ideas. [We are] getting prepared to go out of town, really just trying to see what it will take to take this band further than the last!

HF: It has been a while since you sang on stage with your former band, Die Section Ate. Did you miss the stage?

Ferrara: Yes, I had to get back. I bounced around, and almost moved to L.A. But I knew no matter where I went, I was going to yell (sing) somewhere! Die Section had a certain something for its time that some people liked. I know the old band members miss it a great deal, and so do I. The band I am in now is different and more complex. It is everything I want as far as a band. The guys that I have played with all around, in every band I have been in, have made it worth being on stage. I would never trade those experiences.

HF: Do you think the Kansas City music scene has changed much since your Die Section Ate days?

Ferrara: Yes, in ways. I think the clubs were a little more supportive. I have always said there were a lot of people that live for metal in Kansas City. But there is no way to let everyone know except HF or flyers at shows. It makes it really hard to get your name out. But the bands, especially the young bands, need to know that nothing is handed to you and you have to make it happen yourselves… unless you are rich!

HF: What differences can fans expect between Die Section Ate and Obsidian Shore?

Ferrara: More changes, more speed, no f***ing pretty vocals! All metal and carnage.

HF: Who do you find yourself listening to? Who are your current influences?

Ferrara: I listen to a lot of grind like Necrophagist, Nile, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, The Red Chord. But I listen to different stuff like Circa Survive, Reggie and the Full Effect, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Bjork. My biggest influence always was Jean Michelle Basquiat - an artist whose father was an ambassador to Haiti, but his mother was in an institution. Instead of taking his father’s money, he lived on the streets of New York in a box, becoming one of the most influential artists of the modern age.

HF: If you could describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music, what would you tell them?

Ferrara: It is hard to explain to people who do not know. Grinding puppies and metal forks into a basket of rabid beggars – but in a nice way.

HF: What made you want to be a vocalist?

Ferrara: Jim Morrison

HF: What plans or goals do you or Obsidian Shore have for the future?

Ferrara: To change people’s minds about hard music! To make people recognize the artists and great musicians that some of these band have – stop them from being closed minded.

HF: What topics do you cover in your lyrics? Do you feel they are literal or metaphorical?

Ferrara: It just depends. Some of my lyrics are political and some are taken from myths or ancient writings. Obsidian Shore has a lot of mythology in the song titles and meanings.

HF: What are your hobbies outside of music?

Ferrara: I am an artist - film, painting, or graphic design. I do it all - whatever expands my ability and intelligence.