ATTACKER – Interview with Bob Mitchell

He is great vocals, with musical experience more than 20 years. Simple and down-to-earth, open-minded and soft spoken. He is Bob Mitchell, the vocals of the American band “ATTACKER”…

Hello Bob…how ru? It's great that I'm with you today…

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Bob Mitchell: Hi Nancy it's great to be in your company as well. Thank you for the privilege of speaking to you and our fans in Egypt and MetalCentre.com. So where shall we begin, eh?

Ok then, let's start with telling us few words about the great “Bob Mitchell”

BM: You know, it's hard for me to say anything about myself because I am not a braggart. I am proud of my accomplishments in regards to my career and personal life. Away from the business of music, I work in the medical field which, to me, is the most gratifying of all professions. I love people. Certainly, I have the best of both worlds in the fact that I either provide care for them, or, I entertain them. Coming from a singer and I'm certian that you won't hear this very often, but, again, as a singer, I'm only as good as the band I have and I am blessed to have the band I have in ATTACKER. To answer your question…. well…. my work, my body of work, I should say, speaks for itself. I see myself in one way but the fans have another outlook on me I suppose. As always I leave it for the fans to decide what I'm all about. I know who I am and I'm comfortable in my own skin, but, everyone has their opinions.

You joined “Attacker” in 1983, and formed “Sleepy Hollow” in 1989 and “Vyndykator” in 2001….mostly with different members but of the same genre. Do you think there was anything in common except for that?

What does “Vyndykator” mean? And Sleepy Hollow….is it inspired from the movie?

BM: When Vydykator was coming together, we have yet to pick a name for it. One day I was talking with King (Fowley of October 31 and Deceased) and he suggested “Vindication”. After talking to him, I thought about it for a while and when I brought to the guys, I thought of the tride and true concept that a great band works as one, right? So when I brought up to name the band, it just came out as Vindicator and they all really liked the name alot. My guitarist, at that time, Bill Pena suggested the phenetic spelling of the band name and that's how it came to be. All in all, it's just a great name and it fit the style of Heavy Metal we were playing. The band name for Sleepy Hollow was the idea of my drummer Tom Wassman, were he got the idea from, I just don't know. If I'm not mistaken, I believe he just thought it was a cool name for a band. So that's really how it all went down.

Forgive me on this one, but I noticed that whenever you form or join a band, it succeeds….why don't you stay in one band or you guys maintain to go on what you have started?

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BM: Again , Nancy, with all I've done, ATTACKER was always the focal point with the fans. So while ATTACKER stopped in 1988, I kept on performing with my other bands and, without trying, I kept the name alive. Although I've fronted other bands, at the risk of repeating myself, I've kept the legacy of my band alive through different, in a matter of speaking, incarnations. All that I have done, as you pointed out, has found a degree of success but it was always about when will the road come to a full circle wind up back home. Here's another way of looking at it, if you live in one town for most of your life, then you move to another, you don't change who you are, you just adapt to your surroundings and, eventually, you wind up back where you began, better than ever! This is case with ATTACKER. I've finally come home. But it's nice to know that the other bands I was in have endured through time and that the fans of Heavy Metal really enjoy the music for what it was. You know, come to think of it, I've taken the same road that Rob Halford, Ian Gillan and Bruce Dickenson took where we all ventured off to another place, found some degree of success and when the novelty wore off, came back home, again, better than before.

Why have Sleepy Hollow stopped in 1993?

BM: Sadly, like all situations in our business, it just ran its course. I tried keeping it together with an all new line-up but I was just kidding myself and the guys I asked to join up. What Hollow had was special and could never be duplicated, ever, again. It's a part of my history and, in a small, yet, inevitable way, it was part of Heavy Metals history. Bob Mitchell, Steve Stegg, Steve Brink and Tom Wassman were Sleepy Hollow and there will never be another.

I read this on Sleepy Hollow's site…”Will there ever be a Sleepy Hollow reformation? “….will it be any for real?

BM: No, there will not be a reunion for Sleepy Hollow. For instance, except for my drummer Tom, I cannot locate any of the original members and I would certainly not damage the integrity of the bands memory by trying to get all new members and calling ourselves Sleepy Hollow. I think doing that would really demean the actual memory of what the band was, as far as the fans would like to remember them as. Sleepy Hollow was very special and what made it that way where the members that comprised it.

I heard that you worked with Michael LePond (Symphony X Bassist)…how does it feel working with a guy like him?

BM: Ahhh Mike is a great friend of mine. I haven't seen him in while. I'm really happy for him and his achievements both professionally and personally. He's in a great band and has a beautiful, charming wife. He was always a square guy and always ready to rumble, sister. He was with me in my final incarnation of Sleepy Hollow and, after that, we wrote some stuff together but we never did anything with it. He's a wonderful guy and an incredible talent! Symphony X are a better band for having him in it.

They are one of my favorite bands. Now, music is your life….but is it the main source that pays your bill?

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BM: (Laughs) Sorry to shatter any possible myths, but, as much as I love it, Music does not pay the bills. It's a great way to suppliment my income but that's about it. Well as I said before, my main source of income is from my work in the Medical Profession. I'm employed as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). But for me, it's not work, it's a noble profession that I absolutely love doing. Currently, I'm furthering my advancements in the field by continuing my education. I'm working on becoming an RN (Registered Nurse). Like I also said before, I certainly have the best of both worlds, I take care of people for a living and I entertain them for the love of performing.

Of course, you have over “25 years of musical experience”- which means for me “I envy you”( laugh) – and you have leared a lot….have you ever though that you would gain this kind of experience if you weren't a vocalist…

BM: Oh yes because anything that I do, or have done, I try to be the best at. So Yes, for instance, if I wanted to be an actor, I would learn what it takes to really become an actor the same way that learned what it took to become the singer I am today and the key to it all is to never think you've learned it all, because, the day you stop learning is the day you die.

Forgive my curiosity…but I see that you also review albums for different zines (I should watch it then..[laugh]) and I read a review you did for Savatage and their last album “Poets and Madmen”…I can see that you were totally excited about it….So do you consider Savatage one of your main influences? (If yes) What are your favorite albums for them?

Honest question…would would be if you weren't in the music business?

BM: Definately an actor. I love to perform. It's a true passion of mine. God has placed me where I need to belong right now and he'll bring me, someday, to the next level for sure.

Open question for your fans (and me..) whom from the bands you have met/dealt with, were most professional and mellow? On stage and off stage You know…we hear a lot of things, but we never know…

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