BTD Interviews TheWord66

BTD would like to welcome the band The Word66.

When I saw your interview submission come in, I got really excited. I could not wait to have an interview with you. So many questions, I can’t wait to dive into them. Before we do all that though, can you tell me where the band is from?

Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to be chatting with you. We are actually located in sunny Las Vegas. The home of all that is wholesome, like mom and apple pie. LOL

Let’s also do some introductions, can you go around the room and introduce the band.? Who does what? And of course, share with us who is the most silliest in the band and why? (smiles)

Brian Torres on vocals and bass, Lance Crane on drums, and myself, Steve Scott on Guitar. We will be touring as a 4 piece. I am probably the silliest. I actually used to do some stand up which was pretty fun. Plus I think my dogs would agree.

So the reason I got excited about your interview submission is that I saw you are a Christian rock band, I dig that. I am a Christian as well, I am always inspired to see Christian rock bands stand up for what they believe in. Could you tell our BTD listeners how your band got together and when?

That’s very cool. Thank you. It was around the end of 2018 that I got the calling to put this band together to spread the word through the music. Putting together a Christian metal band has been a task. Most rockers, when you mention the word Christian are not interested. There is definitely a stigma behind the classification. We rock like everyone else with the only difference being that we always have a positive message to send out to the listeners. Something we believe is welcomed during these troubled times.

What pushed you forward to be a Christian band and not a mainstream rock band? You obviously could, you have that edgy rock style.

It was the calling. I had an incident that happened in my life that made this purpose for my life quite clear. I think that the reason why previous bands did not attain a certain success level was that I was doing it for the wrong reasons. Most people that hear the music do not realize that we are Christian until they read our bio. Our message is semi-subtle. And we are actually semi-normal people in real life. LOL.

I would like to know how the name of your band, The Word66 came about?

Actually, it’s pretty simple. There are 66 books in the Bible, and the Bible is “the word.” We had a big list of some kooky names before we went with our moniker.

You have a new album coming out I see. The title is Rock & Roll Preaching. I love the title. Before I dig into the song on this album, could you tell our BTD listeners when your album is expected to drop?

We are looking at the end of August. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of signing with Curtain Call which has held everything up. We are happy to say that we are parting ways and caution anyone thinking of working with them in the future. Our review would not be pretty.

How many tracks are on this album and how long did it take to complete it?

It’s going to be an EP. There will be 5 tracks including a really sweet ballad about a single guy wondering when God is going to send them that special person. Their Eve. lol It took a while to complete as the studio and producer we work with had very little time available to work with us. We got a session here and there sometimes a month or so apart.

What inspired the title? Was there any other names you thought of? How did this title become “the title?”

This was the one and only title. We kind of consider ourselves to be Rock & Roll preachers. We are blessed to be spreading the word thorough the music. I also like to squeeze in a little scripture in some our songs.

The first track from your new album is “Just To Show My Love:, such a fabulous song. What inspired you to have this song as the first track?

You are so kind. It’s just a fun, poppy kind of rock worship tune. We were hoping that it would cross over into the Christian contemporary market which is considered mainstream radio. That’s a tough nut to crack. We were able to get it on a very small percentage.  

I see you have a special guest on the first song of your album. I will let you share that piece of information with our BTD listeners. Also let us know how that came about.

Yes, we have Danny Miranda who has been on tour with Queen and has been in Blue Oyster Cult for many years. He provided some great bass lines on all of the new tracks. His approach and feel is pretty amazing. Danny and I are both from Long Island, NY and he’s also good friends with our engineer/producer Vinny Castaldo.

Who writes the songs in your band? Is it a joint effort or one single person? Can you take us through what that process looks like?

I write all of the music and lyrics. I guess you can say I am guided by the Holy Spirit. Usually write both simultaneously. And at times, when messing with the guitar, a riff just happens and I record it on my cell for perhaps a later date. When we are working  as a band, I kind of know in my head how the parts go and then we take it from there.

If I was a fly on the wall in the studio, what would I see?

LOL. The usual stuff. Lots of mess ups and doing some of the sections over and over again. Can get pretty frustrating at times. You would also see some pretty cool creativity happening as well. Ideas that just happen (or do they), that make the song come together. We brought in a cellist for the balled called “How will I Know,” which was pretty cool.

What does the band like to do for fun when you are not recording or writing music?

I have to say that the music is a huge part of my life. I personally spend a countless amount of hours every day promoting the music and constantly making connections all over the world including working on the social media sites. Especially when Covid hit. I was at it like 10-12 hours a day. We have had no help from the label so it’s been up to us. Also, love spending time with my 3 doggies and am a major animal freak. So much that I do not eat meat. Enjoy playing tennis, hiking, comedy clubs, hanging with friends and a pretty good cook. Make a pretty mean pizza from scratch. Currently single. LOL

Who are your influences?

Sabbath has always been one of my favorite bands ever since I was a little kid. Big Priest and Maiden fan as well. Also a mix of bands like Shinedown, Three Days Grace, Disciple, Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, and Godsmck to name a few. Guitar wise, Vai, Satriani, Schenker, Beck, Petrucci, and Gary Moore come to mind.

We are coming to a close, I have a couple more questions left. If you were describe your music to a little old lady on the street, what would you tell her?

That’s a good one! Probably have to make the fact known that we are a Christian rock band that are essentially messengers for God. That we are here to spread words of peace, love and hope to all who may want and need to hear it. It’s a bit on the noisy side but it comes from the heart.

Where do you see your band in five years, and do you have any projects coming up? Where can our BTD listeners buy your music.

The future is very exciting. From the amazing response we have been getting from both the Christian and non-Christian world we believe that the sky is the limit. We will continue to do what we are doing knowing that we are being guided in the direction we are supposed to be going. We have a ton of music to record and looking forward to getting more music out there. Hope to see you peeps out there on tour. We were also talking about recording a Christmas track but not sure if that that will happen at this time. Eventually, but not sure about 2022. We are available on all of the main platforms. Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Amazon, Pandora, and Bandcamp to name a few.

Ok ok… last question, I promise. What exclusive thing can you tell us about your band or your music that you have never shared in any other interview?

Let’s see.  We were almost fronted by a female vocalist. We were open to the possibility and had a couple of good possibilities,  but did not work out.

Keep it rockin guys! You sound great. Thanks for allowing me to interview you!

It was a pleasure. Really appreciate your time. It was fun. Thanks again.

Be sure to visit TheWord66 at their website and subscribe on YouTube. Chat with them on Facebook, Instagram , Twitter

T Dawn