We’ve got another new band for you today called Damn Valentines! They are a rock/punk/gothic band from LaCrosse, WI who are here with us today to share a bit of their world!

EpicBull: Thanks for taking the time to chat with our EpicBull readers today. Please introduce yourselves and your band.

Damn Valentines: We’re Damn Valentines. I’m Benjamin Wopat on lead vox. Lee Wilson plays guitars. Colin Foster on drums. Adam Dahlin on bass.

EB: Now I know you’ve mentioned that you’ve been heavily influenced by the band, AFI. But what are some other of your musical influences?

DV: Each member of the band really brings their own influences to the table. But I’d say where those paths cross are Danzig, Tiger Army, Social Distortion, Marilyn Manson, NiN, Bad Religion, etc.

EB: I read on your MySpace that you performed with Billy Idol. What was that all about and how did that come to fruition?

DV: It was a real honor because we’re all big fans. We opened for him at The Rave in Milwaukee and it was crazy. We were a little worried that we might be too heavy for that crowd….but they were fantastic. One of the most intense shows we’ve ever played as far as crowd response. For Lee it was a really big deal because Steve Stevens is definitely one of his guitar heroes.

EB: Wikipedia mentions that Damn Valentines played on the Warped Tour 2008. What was that like? Was that your biggest audience ever?

DV: It was a fun experience. There were definitely quite a few people there and it was fun hanging out w/ the other bands. One of our biggest audiences for sure.

EB: On your MySpace it appears you have one CD entitled “Broadcast For The Broken”. Are there any plans for you guys to hit the studio and record a second CD in the future?

DV: Broadcast For The Broken…. was our 1st official release and it was a full length album. We thought about doing an EP initially, but it’s a bit of a concept album in that the lyrics & music came from a very specific period in my life, and it felt wrong to split it up in any way. It’s a bit of a autobiographical novella rather than a collection of short stories, if you will.

Our bass player is currently in the Caribbean, and when he returns we’re definitely planning on finishing up some writing and choosing 3-4 songs an EP…..perhaps an exclusively digital format.

EB: Thanks for chatting with EpicBull today! Any last words for our readers?

DV: I just really appreciate everyone taking the time to check us out. I realize there’s a lot of bands out there and competition for your band loyalty and entertainment dollar. So the gratitude we feel towards our fans that can relate to what we’re doing is very genuine. We’re on MySpace, Twitter, and all of that. Our album is available off our MySpace page, iTunes, and Interpunk.

If you want to listen to some of the music of Damn Valentines, you can do so right here!

Dance Away

Don’t Breathe A Word

In The Wake