Interview with Anthrax Vocalist Joey Belladonna


By Mick Michaels




COSMICK VIEW: Hello a Joey! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: With being viewed as a cornerstone in Heavy Metal music, was Anthrax aware of the impact they were making back then when Thrash began taking its foothold on the genre and with fans? Or with being on the inside, was it sort of a tunnel vision scenario as the band built their career, catalog and audience?
Joey Belladonna: I’m not sure we even paid too much attention to the impact. We were so busy writing music and developing the band. In my eyes we were just paying attention to what we were doing, staying the course as a band.

CV: In those early days, was it an "every band for themselves" mentality or was there a level of camaraderie among the band's that tended to lend itself to a more cohesive and open music scene? Were bands more willing to support one another back then as opposed to what is often experienced today among bands and artists?

JB: For me I saw it as we were always friends with people. We wanted to be together and tour together. In my view "every band for themselves” was a waste of time.

CV: Joey, do you consider yourself a music pioneer as many others do? Or are titles, such as pioneer, something you would rather not be associated with and leave that to others to decide and debate?
JB: Yeah I don’t put any label on anything. Again I'm so busy trying to be good and be attentive to what I do musically. It just isn’t really something I think about.

CV: How would you define iconic? And based on that definition, who do you view as being iconic?
JB: I don’t really have an explanation for that…I don’t see a need to focus on it. I’m very much a fan of a lot of musicians, people who’ve accomplished a lot.

CV: With six Grammy nominations and countless awards and recognition, is there ever a concern about falling short to your own accomplishments, especially with regards to new projects?
JB: You just have to be really serious about what you’re doing and strive for better. There’s nothing perfect. It’s nice to be rewarded for things but you can’t stick to that for too long. You can’t hang on to that forever, it’s nice but you have to keep moving forward and just look for better things, strive for better things.

CV: Has modern music lost its natural evolution process, as many critics have suggested, that nothing new is really being offered to the listening public? Has music become stagnant and has all that could be done with music already been done and now what we are experiencing is just a second rate, carbon copy of past achievements?

JB: All I know is what we do and how we do it. It’s just categories…I mean certainly things do collide with genres and stuff. It’s never been a thing that we would follow in any way. Just have to be yourself and do what you do, or we do what we do.


CV: With so much concern regarding the artist profession and their livelihood, or lack thereof, due to the pandemic, do you feel a new music business model will emerge in a post COVID world following so many restrictions imposed on the industry? Is a new model in order regardless, in your opinion?
JB: It's hard to say, you know. It’s hard to say how this virus ends up, kind of have to wait and see. It's so unpredictable right now, something we’ve never faced before. I’m sure we’ll see some changes, at least to make it safer. Of course we’d all like to return back to normal in some way.

CV: In addition to your role in Anthrax, you also perform with your bands Chief Big Way and the Journey tribute experience, Journey Beyond. Joey, how does working with other artist's music fit into your career perspective? Is there a level of fulfillment you find in such projects that is not present in your original work? Or is it a matter of keeping the music you love alive and sharing it with the world?
JB: Of course, there’s a different style of singing, different genre of music and it gives me a chance to explore different types of music. I grew up with that music and I just like performing it…it’s enjoyable. I think people get a little different view on more styles that I can take on. Good change of pace you know?

CV: Anthrax is part of the Big Four in Thrash Metal. If you had to create your own Big Four in Rock n Roll, who would make the list?

JB: That’s tough…I guess Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rush and Queen. I’m sure I can make about 3 more that would be equally good…exceptional. That’s really tough. Dio is metal so can’t include him in that category or I would.


CV: What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming in the remainder of 2020 and beyond?
JB: Right now being stuck at home I’m just working on new ideas for upcoming Anthrax stuff. Working with the Journey project…doing some good recording there.  

CV: Thank you again Joey for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.

JB: Well thank you very much for your time and effort. Thanks for looking me up, it’s been a pleasure.

Check out Joey at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyBelladonnaOfficial  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyBelladonnaBeyondTheBand
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbelladonna
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeyBTribute
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joeybelladonnasbeyondtheband/

 


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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word.  Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.




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