Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?
Mari: We can be found in the city of Modesto which is located in the Central Valley of California. We can also be found on all social media platforms, all streaming platforms and at our website www.perfectnightmareband.com.
Lately we have been playing shows all throughout California while simultaneously working on new music. We are also very active within the local underground metal scene. We are always going out to local shows to meet and support new bands as well as network to create opportunities for ourselves and others in our local scene.
Tell us a bit about your influences?
Mari: As a band our influences range from all over the music spectrum, but we all come together with our love for music that is aggressive, heavy and melodic. Our style of metal is heavily influenced by bands like Arch Enemy, Lamb of God, As I lay dying and many more. We are heavily into the New Wave of American Heavy Metal sound, but with a modern twist. We don’t see very many artists creating this kind of music these days. Especially with a female vocalist front and center. Our music is written to be full circle so it is not just about the listeners experience but also about how it translates into a performance for our audience. Our shows are really something special and I hope you get to witness one someday.
As an individual I am inspired by women like Morgan Lander, Angela Gossow, Maria Brink and Alissa White Gluz. These women are the trailblazers that inspired me to put myself out there and step into the male dominated arena of heavy metal with scream vocals. When it comes to writing lyrics for our songs I pull from personal experiences and the use music as my outlet of expression. Each song I have written has a personal story full of life experiences behind it.
How did you start?
Mari: When I was in middle school I started to get into bands like AFI and 30 Seconds to Mars, but it wasn’t until I came across Bullet For My Valentine that my passion for metal really took off. It was like opening a can of worms with all the artists I discovered. Bands like Arch Enemy, In This Moment, Lamb of God the list just goes on and on.
In 2014 I became part of a youth music program called VMI Rocks where I met Stephanie (guitarist) and we started Perfect Nightmare together. Over the years we developed and honed our skills as musicians until reaching our current sound and style in 2020 with the addition of our new members Luis Cervantes (bass), Chandler Miller (drums) and Brett Mynear (guitarist).
What obstacles does an emerging artist have to face in our time?
Mari: Emerging artists have many obstacles the biggest one is being able to accept rejection and how you react to it. You have to be able to dust yourself off and try again. This is a game of perseverance and you must always be on the look out for new opportunities. You have to also be real with yourself. You need to take a step back and look at your product and try to see how it fits in todays world and if you can visualize a real path forward. Perfect Nightmare has been around since 2014. In that time we have gone through multiple revisions in efforts to find what works best. What you hear today didn’t come about until around the year 2020 with our first single “This is War” releasing in July of 2022. Sometimes you just have to scrap things and rebuild from scratch.
What worked for you marketing-wise? What advice or tips would you give to new artists?
Mari: Social media has been massive in helping us reach a wider audience. The same can be said for getting play on radio stations around the world. Our singles can be heard all over the world on FM, AM and internet radio stations as well as podcasts. Too many very talented bands focus solely on social media only. This is great and incredibly important, but you can also reach a ton of people through radio play. Disc jockeys and station managers are eager to discover new talent and many of their emails are available online. It doesn’t hurt to reach out. The worst they will say is no or just not respond.
What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Mari: Our current goals are to get new music released and to begin touring throughout the United States next year. We have several bands that we are currently in tour talks with. As for five years from now. I hope to be able to still be doing this, but on a much larger scale with many tours under my belt. I would like to have played outside the US. Basically the usual musicians dream of being able to support themselves with their music.
Tell us about your latest or upcoming release.
Mari: We have two songs that are in the finishing stages that we hope to release by the end of this year. I won’t reveal any potential dates but I will reveal the titles for the first time. They are titled, “Out For Blood” and “Dead to Me”.
@perfectnightmareband