"Hi guys, it's me Sarah and welcome to Headbanger's Howl! Where we talk about the corners of the alt world where the guitars are distorted and have teeth! Where vocalists growl their lyrics and the drums and bass shake the walls of of a venue to it's core. We're talking alt-metal and of course punk! So join me as we take a walk on the wilder side of alt music!"
Wings Over Society - Corpus Christi, TX
I had the awesome opportunity of interviewing Joseph Martinez, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Wings Over Society. Wings Over Society is a punk/pop rock group from Corpus Christi Texas with members Jacob Mirabal (lead guitar), Ernest Garza (Bass), Joseph Mirabal (drums) and then of course Joseph Martinez (lead singer and rhythm guitar).
While talking to Joseph, we first discussed the most famous question for any band, what brought the band together? Joseph went on to say that Wings Over Society started back when they were in High School. Their guitarist Jacob had moved to Joseph’s High School where they participated in jazz band together. From there they looked into playing an acoustic gig together, but when that fell through they got together with neighbor Ernest and brother of Jacob, Joseph (That’s right, they have two Josephs!).
We then started talking about inspirations for the band and what other musicians had an impact on them. Joseph explained that for him personally, bands such as All Time Low, Nirvana, Blink-182, Green Day and Foo Fighters influenced him in his career. While listening to Wings Over Society, you can definitely get that vibe of Green Day, but still hear the originality of their own music.
With that, lead us into what the writing process looks like for Joseph and his bandmates. Joseph said that they start with a melody, and then a riff that either himself or Jacob or Ernie creates. From there, they all start jamming and then Joseph starts to hum, a melody with no words. They then start to feel the music and think of a name. Joseph explained “We feel it, is it triumphant? Sad?” Then comes the bridge and everything else that follows. With writing music comes the gear to write the music with.
I asked Joseph what gear all the guys prefer using and he went on to say that he really digs Gibson while their other guitarist, Jacob, is hugely influenced and a big fan of Eddie Van Halen and prefers to use both his guitar and amp by Eddie Van Halen.
So what can we expect from a Wings Over Society Show? I asked Joseph what one of their shows are like- what vibe we should be expecting as well as what the band likes most from a venue. Joseph said they are “High energy shows and known for jumping around and just having fun”. He said you can expect Jacob to jump off the stage and climb onto a table while staring into fans eyes. You will see the band interacting with each other like when him and the drummer hit notes together. Joseph explained that if he sees fans bobbing their heads and moving around then he knows he is doing his job, but if people are standing still, then he has failed. The music is important, but so is having fun!
So what does Wings Over Society want the public to know about their band? Joseph said that it is simple. He doesn't want the public to see them as great musicians but instead as “regular people who come together and have great chemistry, regular people who just found each other and got lucky.” He doesn't want anyone to think that they are not good enough to pursue something. Go for it and have fun!
So should we be expecting any new projects in the works? Good news is yes! Joseph said that they are currently working on an acoustic version of song Cast Away. He said it can be hard to create new material with life happening at the same time, but that the guys will always make time for it.
A giant shout out to Joseph for taking time out of his day to talk with me and if you have not listened to Wings Over Society yet I don’t know why! They are sic so check them out!