Johnny Whiteside A few words with singer / guitarist Johnny Whiteside. Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Johnny: I am a solo artist and I write and perform all of my songs myself. I play mainstream rock music mainly for radio. I've been told I sound like Nickelback. The good Nickelback! (Laughs) LB: How did you start out making music? Johnny: Well when I was 12 my cousin bought his first guitar and I always tried to play on it. We learned together. I was always writing poems so when I learned guitar I would mix the two and come out with a horrible song. But I got better. A lot better! LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you're doing now? Johnny: I listened to everything growing up. My Mother listened to Pop music and my Dad listened to Country. My Uncle listened to Metal and Classic Rock so I was exposed to all types. I always had an open mind. That's always important. One of my all time favorite bands is Metallica. They got me into Thrash. Pantera, Slayer, Megadeth, I love them all. I think you can hear all my influences in my music. LB: Tell us about your latest release. Johnny: My latest release is "Anthem of Pain." A 3 song EP that I wrote last year. It has features the song "Superman" which everyone seems to love. I think it's my most well written song. Also the title track "Anthem of Pain" which is about taking negative energy and turning it around into something positive. LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Johnny: You can expect raw emotions from one of my shows. I really feel what I am singing about because most of my songs came from real experiences. I try to play as many shows as possible but as a solo artist it can get hard to find back-up musicians. I love to connect with the audience. That's what I think a performance is all about. LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Johnny: The aspects I love the most would have to be hearing feedback about my songs. The other day a woman told me that my song "Crazy" meant so much to her. She had just gone through a break-up and that song had helped her along. It makes me feel good when that happens. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Johnny: People can find and buy my music almost anywhere. You can get it from iTunes, Napster, Amazon, Lala, CD Baby, and Myspace. www.myspace.com/johnnywhiteside www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JohnnyWhiteside Johnny Whiteside - Is This Really Love