With Diamond Rowe on lead guitar, Josh Fore singing and
playing rhythm guitar, Ryan Lerner on bass and drummer Ruben Limas, Tetrarch
has been making waves in the metal pool.
With youthful endurance, the band burst on scene in their hometown of
Atlanta, before leaving wake all over the country. Currently on the Scream Out Loud Tour,
Tetrarch is soon slated to release another album.
Author Marisa Williams:
With the implications of ruling and royalty, how did you decide upon the
band name of Tetrarch?
Diamond Rowe, lead guitarist for Tetrarch: We started
jamming in high school, me and Josh. We
were in history class, and our teacher talked about a tetrarch, explaining what
it was. There were four of us in the
band, and we needed a name, so it stuck and wound up working well.
Marisa: How did you
get started in music? Did you come from
a musical family? What were your biggest
musical influences?
Diamond: I did come
from a musical family. Both of my
parents worked in the music industry, so I grew up around music. What got me into rock and metal, because I
grew up listening to pop and hip-hop when I was young, but I had a friend into
Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I started
checking out them, then discovered bands like System of a Down, Metallica, and
Slipknot. That matched my personality,
so I left everything else in the dust and stuck with that.
Marisa: How old were
you when you learned to play guitar, and have you dabbled with any other
instruments?
Diamond: I believe I
took lessons for a year. My first lesson
was on my 12th birthday, so I started when 12. I played with other instruments like drums
and bass. I played drums in jazz band at
school, played flute, and that’s basically it.
I would love to learn piano, but I haven’t gotten there yet. I don’t know why I picked flute; I didn’t
really fit my personality, but I was decent.
Marisa: What was your
first concert that you attended, and how did that compare to the first concert
that you played?
Diamond: It depends. I have two first concerts. My dad was doing a Janet Jackson tour, so
that was my first, but first metal show was Metallica with Limp Biscuit and
Mudvayne. That shook my core, best thing
ever seen in my life. Compared to my
first show, it wasn’t in a stadium. We
weren’t that good, but I will say having to see a show that big for my first
metal show, it set the standard for what a band looks like. We tried harder, put all our energy into the show
like Metallica does. It might not have
sounded great, but we put in the effort.
When you get older, effort doesn’t always cut it, but in the beginning,
effort is awesome.
Marisa: What was the
first album you purchased?
Diamond: Again, when
I was young, probably a Michael Jackson album my parents got for me, like “Thriller”
or “Bad,” one of those. My first rock
record was first greatest hits of Nirvana record, and I purchased that when I
was 12, around that time.
Marisa: How do you go
about writing music? What comes first
for you: drums, guitars, vocals or something else? Has the process of writing changed for you
over the years at all?
Diamond: It’s kinda
always stayed the same. Josh or I
generally have something that sparks an idea, whether it’s a drum beat that’s
cool, we come to each other with a riff or a full song. We bounce ideas off of each other, come up
with something that sounds cool. When we
first started, a lot of it came from jamming in a room. There’s a cool thing that goes from writing
that way, like you know it will go over well live. We go into demoing on the computer, then go
fix parts that are not cool or find parts that are super cool.
Marisa: What is your
favorite musical technique?
Diamond: I don’t know
if it’s a technique, but it’s something for song writing. I love bands in metal especially, and this is
where bands like Slipknot come into play, bands that write heavy songs with
huge choruses. Being able to appeal to
heavy fans and more of a mass appeal to radio.
It’s not a technique, but it’s an amazing thing, because I think it’s
really cool. That’s something I’m always
looking at and striving for when I write a song.
Marisa: What's the
coolest musical technique in your latest project, or what is something people
might not expect in the new album?
Diamond: I would say,
for us with the new music, a lot of our older stuff was fast, on the thrashy
side. As much as I grew up with Megadeth
and Metallica, I hated when people called us thrash metal, because it puts us
in a niche, but with the new stuff, we’ve departed from that. We added more groove bass like Korn, weird
effects guitar, harder, midtempo chorus.
We tried a lot of stuff, pulled from influences we’ve had, to try to
take us out of that thrash band genre where we’ve been. We still have that, but we’ve pulled in a lot
of other stuff, too, which people might not expect.
Marisa: Can you walk
us through the creative process of one of the songs on the new album, perhaps
talking about what influenced, something that happened when it was recorded, or
what makes it different from other songs on the new album?
Diamond: There’s a
song on the new record called “Meri.” It’s
super cool. As of late, it’s something I’ve
always wanted to do. It came out very
close, if not perfect, to how I heard it in my head. It’s very bass driven, mid-tempo song,
something like you would hear that’s creepy like Kill Pop or Marilyn Manson,
that creepy vibe. I came up with weird
effects on guitar. I had Ryan come in,
told him what I wanted, and he nailed it, it was perfect. From there, everything really came together
with this groove drum part. In the studio,
we did most of the work on the vocals, and Josh did a good job. It came together very naturally. I’m excited for people to hear that more than
any other.
Marisa: What is the
scariest thing about being on the road?
Diamond: Besides like
discomfort, away from all the people you love, and not sleeping in your bed -
but you get used to that - I’m constantly worried about our gear getting
stolen. I’m the only girl, so I’m like a
mom; if we are parked somewhere, or even staying in a hotel, I worry. You hear so many horror stories of people stealing
from bands. On the road, you increase
your chances of wrecks and things like that.
We try to be as safe as we can.
Besides that, there’s nothing else that really bothers me. Most bands, you have thousands of dollars of
gear that you can’t just go to the store and replace. It’s a nightmare to think about. The more you’re out there, the more you are
at risk.
Marisa: Best or worst
tour moment?
Diamond: This was
more of a tour kickoff show, not in the middle, but best was when we were
getting ready to leave where we would be gone for a month. Two weeks before, we got asked to play with
Alter Bridge, Seether and Avenged Sevenfold, and there was no competition we
had to play or anything. We were eating
backstage with them, hanging out, being a part of it. Obviously, I hope for that to be a normal
thing. Was great to be a tour kickoff
show. That was a couple years ago, but
people come up and tell us the first time they saw us with Avenged
Sevenfold. Even out in L.A., we’ve met
people who saw us that first time in Atlanta with Avenged Sevenfold and Seether.
Marisa: What's your
favorite way to travel and why?
Diamond: I’ll tell
you what’s not my favorite way. I grew
up flying a lot as a kid, but the last two or three years, I am a nervous wreck
on a plane. It’s so stupid. I have high anxiety. My favorite way is in a car when I am
driving. A plane is my least favorite
way to travel.
Marisa: What's your
favorite place to travel to, and is there anywhere you have not been to that
you would like to go to?
Diamond: My favorite
place used to be L.A., but now I live here, so I’d have to say home to Atlanta
to visit family and friends. I really
want to go up to northern Europe, like Sweden, Finland, and over to Japan. I’ve
never been overseas. I’d like to go there
on vacation or as a band; either one, I will take. I’m not huge into the tourist parts, but
Ireland and stuff like that.
Marisa: What's your
biggest musical fantasy?
Diamond: I would have
to say a dream tour, my band with Metallica, Korn, Slipknot, throw like System
of a Down, back in 2002. That is my
dream. If I had to play music for a
reason, it would be that.
Marisa: It’s
interesting that you said that specific year, as that’s the year that I toured
on Ozzfest, which System of a Down was on that year, along with Rob Zombie,
Down, and a bunch of other killer bands.
I will say, sometimes, as a female on tour, sometimes, you’ll run into
guys who just expect you to fall down with your legs spread, and I was never
really into that. I will say, as a
female, just be sure that you know how to defend yourself, just in case
anything crazy ever happens.
Diamond: I’m a super
touch chick. I haven’t had many
experiences like that. After they see me
play, they get it. I’m not mad at
them. Afterwards, usually, I don’t have
many problems. So far, it’s been
okay.
Marisa: I have three
personality questions that I ask everyone.
They might sound like hogwash, but I promise, there is a psychological
basis to the answers ;-) First, if you
were an unicorn, and you could be any color, what color would you be and would
you have any special powers?
Diamond: I would be…
you never see an all black unicorn, so no colors whatsoever. Maybe I’d have really pretty eyes, like
really piercing, like a pretty gold color.
If I had a power, it would be to be invisible when I didn’t want anyone
to see me.
Marisa:
Psychologically, that might mean that you have a bit of voyeuristic
tendencies, like you if you see something crazy or interesting, you would
watch, and just take it all in.
Diamond: That might
be true, in certain situations…
Marisa: If you were
yogurt, what flavor would you be, and how would you be served?
Diamond: I’m just guna
serve myself as I like to eat. Are we talking
cold yogurt like at Ice Cream Land, or the regular stuff you’d buy in the store?
Marisa: Whichever you’d
like.
Diamond: I’d be the
ice cream type, vanilla, but with a ton of crunchy Oreos: the real Oreos, not
the off brand, where you’re basically crunching on your yogurt.
Marisa: Describe yourself
as either a dog, a cat or a cartoon.
Diamond: I’d say I’m
definitely like a dog, but like I am kinda like a German Shepard or something
where I love what’s mine, and I’m very into what my passion is and what I
love. I can be very aggressive but also
the most loving ever, depending on the situation. I’m not super social; I have introverted
tendencies, like to hang around my group.
I enjoy meeting people, but I’m not one of those people to hang out. I’d just go and hang out with my people; that’s
how I am.
Marisa: Do you
collect anything?
Diamond: Guitars, if
that counts.
Marisa: What's your
biggest guilty pleasure?
Diamond: I should be guilty
about it, but I love food. I’m not a big
sweet eater, but I love savory food like pizza and hot wings. But when I eat it, I feel terrible about
myself. If I had to pick one, that would
be it: food.
Marisa: Do you have
any hidden talents or special skills?
Diamond: I’m such an
outward person with what I do, so I don’t have much hidden that people don’t
know. I like to go fishing, but that’s
more of a hobby. That’s something I did
when I was little, so I got out of it, but now that I’m out west, I want to
bass fish. I’m taking my gear on tour,
so I can go fishing this summer. Fishing
is awesome.
Marisa: Fishing is
great, and you’re not the only musician into fishing. Les Claypool, for example, is really into
fishing. I used to be the sports writer
down in Key West, and I got to cover Shark Week, where they are fishing for sharks,
pulling up 12- and 14-footers out of water that I can stand up in.
Diamond: When I people
are surfing on the beach, and I see people pulling in these big sharks, I just
think, you’re in there of your own will…
Marisa: What's the
most important thing to remember?
Diamond: How you
treat people. I think it makes a
difference. Especially in the music
industry, you have to be a little stern with a lot of people. That’s how it is. It’s not a nice place, but you know, you have
to judge your circumstance to make sure you’re treating people well. You never know who you are talking to, or who
you will be talking to, as it comes back to you.
Marisa: What was your
most influential moment?
Diamond: I’d say any
time I’m around my parents. My parents,
after moving away, I’ve learned this: they keep me inspired more than anybody
just by how they live their life, how they’ve lived, and how they raised
me. I just feel that how they raised me,
I want to take after that. I really
appreciate a lot of what they’ve done, and how they go about things. They’re who inspire me, any time I’m around
them.
Marisa: If you were
not doing music, what would you be doing?
Diamond: I’d be in
school to be a doctor. I would go back
to school. I went to University of
Alabama, and I want to get my degree, but I’d like to make music a full-time
career. It would be for something
else. That’s what I would be doing if I
hadn’t started this. I was also really
into softball, super good, but obviously, there’s no huge career in softball,
so I’d say a surgeon or something like that.
Marisa: What are
three things you must have with you when you are on the road?
Diamond: My cell
phone, and this probably counts as one, but also my laptop to make sure I get
work done. What else, what else? Snacks, you have to have some good snacks
when you’re on the road, so they’re very important. Some good baby wipes, because we don’t always
get great showers. It’s frustrating for
me, because I always feel there’s a residue left on my body after using the
wipes. You don’t feel fresh.
Marisa: When I did
the Ozzfest tour, I know there were many times when we would cross from one
side of the country to the other, and that’s a three day jump. You don’t have time to stop, except for truck
stops. We would have to do the truck
stop showers sometimes, or just the whore bath in the sink.
Diamond: We’ve
thought about doing the truck stop showers, but I would definitely want to have
my flip flops with me. We go to Walmart
a lot. If I wash my face, that’s half
the battle, but there’s a point when you have to shower.
Marisa: Any advice
for musicians starting out?
Diamond: I’d say if
this is something you want to do, and you’re serious about it, you can’t have
one foot in and one foot out. You don’t
hear people say they made it by playing on the weekends and got signed and got
huge. You have to put everything you got
into it. You can do other things, but
your mind has to be on it. You have to
run it like a business. If it’s a hobby,
run it how you want, but if this is something you want to spend your life
doing, put everything down and be okay being broke for a while. Just go for it.
Marisa: Closing
thoughts and additional comments?
Diamond: Just for
everyone to keep track of our socials; we have a lot of new music and videos
coming out. I think there’s something
for everyone on this new album.
Be sure to check out Tetrarch on tour this summer, as they
traverse the country, playing shows in Tampa on June 30 at the Brass Mug, The
Ritz in Detroit on July 12, and a host of other places. For more on Tetrarch, check out: https://www.facebook.com/tetrarchmusic/,
http://www.tetrarchmusic.com/, www.twitter.com/tetrarch, www.instagram.com/tetrarchmusic,
and https://www.youtube.com/user/Tetrarchlive.
The author of more than 100 books, Marisa Williams earned
her Master's in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University; for more on Marisa,
visit www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz,
www.instagram/thorisaz, and www.twitter.com/booksnbling.
