Alternative metal outfit Vended have had an undeniable early boost in their career thanks to their familial associations. If the involvement of vocalist Griffin Taylor and drummer Simon Crahan among their ranks wasn’t enough to get them in front of eyes and ears, their respective fathers in Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan certainly bumped up the young band’s profile with multiple coveted opening spots at Slipknot shows.
While the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in terms of Vended‘s overall sound either, the band have frequently been hit with allegations of benefitting from nepotism, leading to haters and hecklers.
In an interview newly published online by Metal Hammer, Griffin weighed in on how that affected him early on, offering: “I was a teenager with a lot of feelings and a lot of emotions and I didn’t know how to deal with it. It would just depress the fuck out of me.”
He also relayed some of the past instances he’s endured at live shows, stating some hecklers will, “scream something from the crowd or just make a joke, like ‘Play Duality!’ And I go up to the mic and be, like, ‘Wrong band, dude.’”
Simon however was quick to shootdown claims that they are only being afforded these live opportunities because of their famous fathers. He told Metal Hammer the following of that:
“My dad told me, ‘I would not put you on a tour if you weren’t good.’ We wouldn’t be playing festivals the way we do if we weren’t good. We’re a good band. We play good music. That’s why we’re here. We’ve discovered that talent ourselves. And everyone thinks it’s just been handed to us.”
While one might presume that Griffin modeled himself after his father’s vocal abilities, in that same interview, Griffin also revealed that one of his major musical influences has been David Gunn, vocalist of Flint, MI-based alternative metal band King 810. He said of the impact Gunn‘s talents have had on him:
“When I was in high school, I listened to him all the time. I did everything to emulate his screams and get deep and guttural and disgusting. Practising his music really helped me get that deep stuff.”
Vended‘s self-titled debut album saw a release this past September. Their next big tour will take place this Spring, opening a North American run with British metalcore bands While She Sleeps and Bury Tomorrow:
04/02 Cleveland, OH – The Roxy
04/03 Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
04/05 Montréal, QC – Olympia
04/06 Boston, MA – Paradise
04/07 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
04/09 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
04/10 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
04/11 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
04/12 Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre – The Lyric
04/13 Lawrence, MO – The Granada
04/15 Denver, CO – The Oriental
04/16 Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
04/18 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
04/19 Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
04/20 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
04/21 Tucson, AZ – Encore
04/23 Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
04/24 Dallas, TX – South Side Music Hall
04/25 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
04/26 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Midtown
04/28 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
04/29 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Heaven
04/30 Charlotte, NC – The Underground
You can find the whole interview mentioned above over at Metal Hammer.
