Wastewalker
- Genres
- Death Metal
- Metal
- Websites
- Awards and Nominations
- SAMMIES 2019 Nominee★ Metal ★
- SAMMIES 2018 Nominee★ Metal ★
- Musicians
- Cam Rogers — vocals
- Joel Barerra — bass
- John Abernathy — guitar
- Justin Tvetan — drums
- Nate Graham — guitar
- Share
- Contact
- wastewalkerband@gmail.com
Q & A
All-time favorite song?
02.04.19
Depends on my mood. "In the Dirt" by Twisted Insane and C Ray if I am depressed and wanna wallow in it. Anything by Polyphia if I am depressed and wanna snap out of it.
How do you describe your music to people?
02.04.19
We are... somewhat proggy, thrashy death metal-cor(ish), if we are being policed by the genre police. Mostly thrash metal if I had to pick one. Fast drums, melodic guitar riffs, but also heavy and chuggy or "core" at times; shredding guitar. a little bit of everything, but mostly focused on blast beats, riffs and being epic. While there are some impressive parts from a technical standpoint, we are by no means trying to be the next Necrophagist or Dream Theater. Good riffs to beer to.
Tell us about how the band formed.
02.04.19
After spending my 20s touring all over the place and putting out two albums via Sumerian Records and 1 album via a kickstarter campaign with my original baby Conducting From the Grave, we finally decided to call it quits—The usual sob story of trying to play death metal professionally: the money just wasn't there, plus we had endless "musical chairs" of front men which will cripple any band. We said let's not drag it out, let's go out with a bang. So in 2015 we played our final shows. However I never lost the spark, I still wanted to write music and tour as much as possible. So from the ashes of Conducting From the Grave I soldiered on and kept writing and recruited new members to continue forth and see where this new beginning will take us!
Tell us about your best gig in Sac.
02.04.19
In February of 2018, our homecoming show from our two-week "Westcoast Wasteland" tour at Holy Diver was probably our best from a crowd response and turnout, but the show that holds the most special place in my heart is a show at Blue Lamp we played a year prior. It was the last time sharing the stage with the late Awaiting the Apocalypse (RIP Marcos!), and it was absolutely bonkers, too! All local bands, us, The Odious Construct, Awaiting the Apocalypse and Tyrannocannon, and it damn near sold out.
Tell us about your worst gig.
02.04.19
Well I'll try and contain it to JUST Wastewalker shows, because if I extended it to my near 20 years of gigging mostly with Conducting From The Grave, I would have too may top contenders hahaha. Hmmm... Wastewalker hasn't had to endure many stinkers really, so it's hard to say. I'm thankful to have the "head-start," so to speak, of all the promoters/agents wanting to book us out of town based on my last band's "clout." I guess if I had to pick one, probably Denver on our tour, simply because it was a door split and not a guarantee, the bands didn't sound like us, the turnout sorta sucked and the club had just gotten bought out by Live Nation, and so I had to hilariously sign a W-9 form for well... lets just say A LOT less than gas money to Salt Lake City the next day lol, which was also a door split but ended up being the best show of the tour.
What artist or band are you a little embarrassed to love, and why?
02.04.19
No one. Embarrassment of liking stuff is for dorks. Any elitist metal person that was a fan of us that heard my list of poppy stuff I like would probably disown us haha. I will say though that I like my pop poppy, my rap rappy, and my metal metal. Mixing shit like rap metal (i.e. Limp Bizkit) or poppy metal (i.e. later All That Remains or Bullet For My Valentine) is fucking awful 99 percent of the time.
What was the first song you learned to play?
02.04.19
The intro to "One" by Metallica was the first riff I ever learned, then I eventually learned all of "Fade to Black," solos and everything by about six months into playing. Although I was probably pretty sloppy at it until I started getting acquainted with a metronome later on in life.
What's next for the band?
02.04.19
We finished the writing for our second album and go into the studio in April to record it with Zack Ohren in Oakland. Going to be playing regionally on the West Coast as much as humanly possible.
What's the story behind the band name?
02.04.19
We are big fans of post apocalyptic stuff like Fallout, Mad Max, The Road, etc. so the name is in line with that type of stuff. Lyrically, however, we don't really hold to that theme 100 percent of the time or anything, It's just sort of a cool visual aspect—nuclear war, bombed-out cities, vast, decaying nothingness etc.
What's your favorite local artist/group?
02.04.19
The Odious Construct, Tyrannocannon, Princess Kitten, Desolist, Hoods, Purification by Fire, Alterbeast, Sleep/Speak, Jack Ketch, Charlie Muscle, Riot Craig, Dead Till Monday.
Who are your biggest influences?
02.04.19
At the Gates, Pantera, The Black Dahlia Murder, Unearth, Behemoth, Revocation, Testament, Between the Buried and Me,
Who first inspired you to play music?
02.04.19
I saw my older cousin Matt playing Slayer, Metallica and Pantera riffs on guitar when I was in middle school, and he got me into metal and guitar at the same time. Prior to that, all I really listened to was Bone Thugs n Harmony, Brotha Lynch, Snoop Doggy Dogg (yeah thats right, I'm so old I remember when he still had "Doggy" in the middle) and Tupac n' shit. He let me borrow The Black Album by Metallica and said this would be introductory, a Hypocrisy album and said this would be intermediate, and a Cannibal Corpse album and said this is advanced and I might not like it yet. I actually loved reading along with the lyric booklet of the Cannibal Corpse album because I was already a big fan of Brotha Lynch and Bone Thugs, and I liked all the macabre, murderous lyrics of gangsta rap, and Cannibal Corpse lyrics made that shit sound like Disney music by comparison. I asked for a guitar for Christmas of eighth grade, and I have been ruining my financial situation playing death metal ever since! I even eventually became a struggle rapper to become even more of an embarrassment for my lady to bring home to her parents! (*insert crying laughing emoji*).
Words to live by?
02.04.19
Life's a journey not a destination, and impatience kills bands! Don't get so wrapped up in "making it," because I did that for far too long and it just made me unhappy. Appreciate free time away from music to just chill with your family. My mom almost died recently and is gonna be in the hospital for a while recovering. Enjoy every moment with your loved ones. Be grateful for what you have and where you are, and don't compare yourself or your success to other people.
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