Nina Osegueda Interview

Okay, so in an awesome turn of events, today we have Mösh N' Höps' first artist interview. Today, because it's Monday and we know you need a reason to get up and get moving, Mosh interviews the amazing Nina Osegueda, from the awesomely metal A Sound of Thunder. Enjoy!

Since we are a beer and metal blog, let’s start off with the obvious: what’s your favorite beer, where is it brewed, and how quickly can you hand deliver it to us?

HA! You assume I'm willing to share?
I'm usually able to drink any beer. My favorite beers tend to either be very dark ale styles or, if I want something sweet, a wheat beer. I don't like beers that go down too easily like Bud Light or anything like that, because to me that's like drinking water and I'll wind up having a few before I know it. So a stronger heavier beer is great. I'll take my time drinking it and actually enjoy it more.

Other than “Out of the Darkness”, you guys have pretty much been a DIY band. Having done things both ways, what have you found to be the pros and cons of being DIY?

The pro is that you always have control over your advertising and where your money is going. The con is that you're spending your own money. Since we did the KickStarter thing, it hasn't been as much of an issue because fans paid for half the cost of our album. But we're still doing everything (except recording, obviously) ourselves. So we can mae it all look and sound the way we want, but since we have nobody selling it for us, it's up to us to make sure people see it.

What’s the band that transitioned you from J-Rock and X Japan into a full-blown metalhead? What’s your favorite metal band now, and all-time?

Honestly, it was Dragonforce. I was a very sheltered kid and wasn't introduced to current (or past) metal until college, when my boyfriend showed my Dragonforce. I did my research online and found an entire world I was missing. From Dragonforce, I learned about power metal. From there, I learned the history of metal. Now I'm all about the entire world of metal, but yeah, it was all started by Dragonforce.

What do you like to do when not fronting the awesomely metal A Sound of Thunder (besides drinking beer and doing the ridiculous amount of legwork that goes along with DIY, of course...)

That's a good question! I have so little time outside of the band that I have to plan all of my other things around it. I guess my favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with the band is going to renaissance faires with my husband. We usually go to PA Renn Faire, which, as you may know, makes it's own beer. It's our favorite almost based on that alone.

What is your favorite song that either you or someone else has written?

That's a hard question. I think there's a lot of songs I could say are my favorite, but I don't want to pick one or the other! One of the first songs I ever memorized was Bohemian Rhapsody. To this day I always learn something whenever I sing along.

Queen of Hell featured an awesome cover of “Trashed,” by Black Sabbath. What are some other songs that you would like to cover?

Personally, I'm absolutely dying to cover Accept's "Son Of A Bitch". 

What’s your best story of crazy shit that has happened while on tour?

There's so much to choose from. I'm not sure I have a "best", but, one of my favorite things that happened was after a show in St. Paul, a really REALLY fit guy asked me to sign his stomach. It was very firm. I was very drunk. Great photos.

Describe your new album in one sentence, as if it were a beer.

Begins as a shock to the taste buds and gradually grows into a more full-bodied flavor, sprinkled with hints of chocolate throughout.

How has your experience in the Washington Opera helped translate into your work with A Sound of Thunder?

I think that learning to be in sync with the people around me is the best lesson I got from that experience. As far as singing goes, I don't utilize my opera style very often. The other stuff involved is what made it for me. The stagecraft and all the work that goes into making a huge production, which is something I hope we can do someday.

What’s the next step for A Sound of Thunder?

Finally releasing Time's Arrow and the box set!

Obligatory question: Much attention has been brought over recent years to female-fronted metal bands and the stigma (positive or negative) that come along with them. Have you noticed any change, positive or negative, in the way you and your band are received by others in the biz, especially being the primary booking agent for your band?

Not really. It was never that big a deal, but there is always a certain sense that we have to "prove ourselves" to be more than just a band that utilizes a girl to sell records. Some people have this weird idea that getting a female front person is an easy way to make it big. It's not true, and it's weird that people think that way. I've been compared to some of the best vocalists in the business, and usually, they're men. I've always kind of related to the male vocalists more anyway.

Last question: When are you coming to Louisiana? We here at Mösh N' Höps will buy the first round!

I would love to head there in 2014. Our next 2013 tour is almost all mapped out, but 2014 has lots of potential. Specifically I want to head south and west, because there's so many fans in Texas and California. Personally, I'm dying to hit Louisiana. Save me some crayfish!

Once again, we'd like to thank Nina for taking some time away from a hectic schedule to do this interview. If you find this interview as awesome as we did, check out Mosh's review of A Sound of Thunder's Queen of Hell EP:
http://moshnhops.blogspot.com/2013/02/well-well-well.html

A Sound of Thunder's new album Time's Arrow releases soon. You can pre-order it here: http://asoundofthunder.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-time-s-arrow-ultra-limited-numbered-box-set 
And while you're there, check out the other awesome merchandise (including all of their previous awesome albums)