We Are The Black Things

THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

ed about with NAMM this year are the people and the excitement about being around the rock and roll spirit.

Luthario: (on turntables) I’m looking forward to a lot of excitement and meeting a lot of classy people and just looking forward to having a ball – having a good time.

Tone Raven and Luthario Mitcho from Hollywood hard rock band We Are The Black Things made their way behind the Orange Curtain to attend The NAMM Show at The Anaheim Convention Center. Promoting their recently released Down In Wuhan manifesto, Tone and Luthario stopped by the Highwire Daze magazine booth to discuss their new CD, a return to The NAMM Show, creating in Hollywood in the midst of a pandemic, and more!

Introduce yourself and tell me what you are looking forward to the most about The NAMM Show this year.

Tone Raven: I’m Tone Raven from We Are The Black Things, guitar/vocals. The thing I’m most excit-

Your new album is entitled Down In Wuhan. Tell me a little about the title and the inspiration behind it.

Tone: Down In Wuhan – basically we’re down in the hell that Wuhan has created – which is basically like a metaphor for Down In Hell with regard to the Gain of Function lab release from the Wuhan virology. So, it’s just a nice way of saying you know where you can take this and we’re not going to take it anymore, and we’re going to fight back with the truth about our freedom to

be able to make our own decisions about our own health and well-being.

How did it feel to write and create this album in the middle of a pandemic?

Tone: It was the most incredible feeling in the world. It’s so gratifying, because it’s exactly what I wanted to be doing. And those songs and the elements for those songs were so raw and seething. They had no other place to go but in my digital recording studio. I just had to stay focused on getting that out, so that’s what I did.

Describe Hollywood during the pandemic.

Tone: Hollywood during the pandemic – and Luthario is down on the front lines in Hollywood as well. It was seething – it was very divided – and it was basically a meltdown status not to mention it was literally falling apart at the seams – and the Hollywood Walk Of Fame was very, very dark.

Luthario: It was tough times. A lot of people were down and bludgeoned by it emotionally – but at the same time you just have to move forward, stay positive, and do the little things required to stay busy – and just move forward to the future. And just do whatever you can do to keep your hands in the mix and do whatever you can do to be a part of the community – and just stay positive.

bands as We Are The Black Things, what song would you want to do and why?

Tone: I think Smoke This probably off his ’99 release, because Smoke This – kind of Top This! It’s a George Lynch new school sense of the way, and so I would cover his modern, new school song or songs.

What’s up next for We Are The Black Things?

Tone: We’re opening up for Tony Harnell on July 14th at Whisky A Go Go. And we’re following up Down In Wuhan with a post Down In Wuhan single Phantom Of The Rainbow – it’s about The Rainbow Bar And Grill on the Sunset Strip. So, we have a song already finished – we’re just in the mixing and mastering phase of that. What we’re doing is we’re redecorating the band in the sense we have a new vitality – we’re very vital – we want to have as much fun with rock and roll – we want to get out and play as much as the possible – the way we were meant to be doing this. So, we’re just looking forward to being on track to what the goal is – and that is to rock and roll as much as possible anywhere and anyhow that we can.

On a lighter topic, you recently opened shows for Enuff Z’Nuff and Bang Tango. What was it like opening for those two iconic bands at The Whisky?

Tone: For me, Chip Z’Nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff) and Joe Leste (Bang Tango) are two class iconic and purveyors of the Hollywood hard rock genre – even though Enuff Z’Nuff’s from Pennsylvania and what not. It’s an absolute dream come true, and to be able to do it at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go is such an honor. That’s our family there.

‘Death’ Released May 14th2021

‘Furyous’ Released September 10th, 2021

What does it mean to you to be part of the Hollywood rock and roll scene?

Tone: It’s something I’ve always wanted ever since I used to pick up Hit Parader with Mötley Crüe on the front in middle school. It’s my destiny, so that’s why I’m here and have been here for all these years.

If George Lynch invited to do be in a tribute album and you could do any song from any of his

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