Danie: I started writing songs when I was about 8 years old and even then I had the desire to perform them. So I guess it was that desire that started the whole thing. Steve came up with the band name. That's my last name (Powers) and there is a castle in County Wicklow by that name. Part of my ancestors are from Ireland.
Zine: Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have any musical training? What kind of music do you enjoy?
Danie: My first time on stage was at five years old. I was in choir for nine years under the direction of Professor Max Hiendlmayr. I'm self taught on guitar. As far as what music I enjoy, my favorite group is King Diamond. I also like Mercyful Fate, Iced Earth, Dissection, Dimmu Borgir, Slayer, Savatage, Testament, etc. I enjoy power metal a great deal, but also some black metal. I also enjoy classical, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Paginini. Also scores from films like, "The Crow," (the score not the lame ass soundtrack that has alternageek tunes on it), "Braveheart," "Amadeus," etc. I like some industrial, a lot of "ethnic" music, Middle Eastern, Celtic, Flamenco guitar, Madrigal singing, Gregorian chants, The Three tenors. A wide variety of things, just no rap, alternative, country or gospel.
Zine: What inspires your music and lyrics?
Danie: Basically I would have to say the battle between light and darkness and it expands from there. A lot of the songs deal with occult experiences. That's the lyrical aspects of my music. Musicially I'm inspired by everything around me, but what is processed and filters out is uniquely "me." I can listen to Dimmu Borgir all day, but that's not what is going to come out of me unless I determinedly seek to emulate them. My main goal is to be original.
Zine: Does being a female make it harder or easier for you to be accepted? Can you site any female musicians as inspiration? What angers you so much about being asked such a question? Would you like that to change?
Zine: Well, I never really thought about it. One thing to my advantage has been my wide vocal range. I can hit some serious lows and most people don't know I'm female just by listening to me and my name being "Danie," only adds to the mystery. I think it's hard to be accepted when you're relatively unknown no matter what your gender. I was raised in the Celtic tradition that men and women are the same except for the obvious physical differences. I was never brought up with that damn "pink and blue" scenerio, I think that has kept me from being shackled like so many women are by the preconceived notions about how we're supposed to act. It's just as stifling for males as well.
Females as inspiration...none. I've just not found any that I can really relate to musically or vocally.
What angers me about being asked that? It's a sexist question that's what angers me about it and you're (Interviewer) a female! *laughs* Think about it, would you ask a black person if it made it easier or harder for them to be accepted in metal, etc., etc.? I doubt it. They'd jump all over you, and rightly so. Right away I'm being put into some seperate container. I'm a metalhead singer/songwriter and guitar player PERIOD. Anyone who isn't open minded or intelligent enough to put on the CD and listen to it and just hear THAT I don't have time for. Who gives a shit if I'm from Mars or Venus. Would I like that to change? Being asked questions like that? Yeah I would, but I'm sure that's impossible, I'm still considered such a fucking novelty by some because this culture is so backwards. The subject never came up that much before I started doing interviews actually, I think the journalists are more interested in it than the people I meet and perform for.
Zine: Tell us a little about Steve, how you met.
Danie: I was recording a demo with "Equinox" (first band) and the bassist bailed out because of differences with the drummer. The sound engineer gave me Steve's phone number. Kinda magickal.
Zine: What do you like to do aside from POWERS COURT?
Danie: I'm a complete internet junkie from hell, but even that is largely related to POWERS COURT. We have a website that would take you a month to go through! The site has pictures, bios, interviews, reviews, band news, etc. I also have a vampire site that features my original fiction, lyrics, poetry and I have a reviews column where I review CDs, videos, movies, comics, etc. I also have a custom graphics and website design business. Other interests are golf, tennis, weight lifting, I collect Thor's hammers, comics, etc. Love movies, club hoppin', partyin'.
Zine: What is the music scene like in your area? Why does metal seem stronger in Europe than in the USA?
Danie: Music scene? This is cow town baby. They are so behind here it's pathetic. If you say you're into metal, they say you're "80s" which just means THEY are OUT of it. There is LOTS of new metal out there, they just stopped listening to it and went on to the next "trend."
Metal is stronger in Europe because they're not as trendy as America is. America has always been about "what is shiny and new" and you're out of it if you have on last year's jeans. MTV is the fucking anti-christ in this country and they dictate to the herd instinct masses here what to listen to, buy and wear. People here are so afraid of not being in the "in" crowd...losers.
Zine: What is your opinion about Satanism? Witchcraft? Christianity? What are your ideals based upon? What's your philisophical view of life?
Danie: I think to each his own personally. I've read the Satanic Bible and a lot of it is just plain old good survival techniques that a lot of people adhere to every day but if you point that out to them that the SB says, "Do unto others unless they do unto you," they FREAK. I don't judge people, I have friends who are Satanists, Christian, Wiccan, Pagan, Asatru, you name it. Everyone has to follow their own path. I personally have been torn down the middle my entire life. One week I'm light, the next I'm dark. So basically I reside in the grey area. My basic philosophy is, "what you put out comes back to you." That's my god.
Zine: What things do you hate?
Danie: MTV is first on the list, facists. I hate people who are narrow minded and won't give someone a chance and included in that are the stuck up self righteous bastards who think they know someone just by looking at them. I hate people who think their religion is the only religion. Case in point being the moral majority that want to be our "mommies and daddies" and want to censor every damn thing. I hate thieves and liars and people who think they can fuck over other people and we're all supposed to lie down and let them wipe their feet on us cos everyone is so damn politically correct now-a-days they're taking advantage of everyone's politeness! I hate trendies who can't think for themselves and wouldn't know good music if it bit them on the ass.
Zine: What's in the future for POWERS COURT?
Danie: Right now we're in the studio hammering out CD2. Tentatively entitled, "Nine Kinds Of Hell," it will feature nine songs about nine hellish experiences. This has nothing to do with Dante, trust me. I'm working on my vampire novel, "One Dark Knight," which will be added to the merchandise catalog upon completion. We have someone in Denmark working on a Powers Court comic book at present, which we hope will be available around the same time CD2 comes out.
Zine: Any last powerful words?
Be true to yourself, don't be bullied by trends and don't be afraid to say FUCK YOU to someone who deserves it and don't let someone else's ideas about who you should be limit you. Ave Metalus.
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