Midnight
By Jim Weems
The first time I heard Midnight was in 2007. I was working in what
could be the hottest fucking kitchen known to man, in the middle of Texas, in
the middle of the summer. We were busier than a gypsy whore on Mardi Gras, and
twice as sweaty. The last CD had ended and, not unpredictably, attitudes were
souring swiftly. I think I said something along the lines of, “please put on
some fucking music!” to my co-worker, who was more than willing to oblige. Then
came the METAL.
“Complete and Total Fucking Midnight” was on at top volume and
some kind of switch flipped in us. We were no longer sweaty, angry, dehydrated,
slightly drunk line cooks. We were slayers of the task and impervious to the
heat… But I digress. 
Some music just has the
ability to transform a situation, and Midnight is some of this
music, so when I got offered the chance to interview Athenar, I
eagerly accepted. I had just heard “Satanic Royalty” a few
times (in the same kitchen, appropriately enough, but several years, and a
couple of other jobs later) and I was just as enthusiastic about this new album
as I had been about “CTFM” years before.
Midnight with Battletorn in New Orleans
So, now it’s 2012 and Chaos in
Tejas is coming up, and Midnight is playing and
thru some kind of string of Metal coincidences, I’m supposed to interview
Athenar, whom I’m told does not like interviews. I’m forwarded
his contact info and we’re off. Kind of. I send an e-mail. I get an e-mail back
from Athenar, with a contact number and the advice that “later
in the eve is best.” I send an e-mail with my number saying that any time would
be fine with me, then make a phone call. I leave a message. Long story short, we
play phone/e-mail tag until finally Chaos in Tejas is upon us
and still no interview. I guess to be fair I should admit now that during this
e-mail exchange I got wasted and watched the “Satanic Royalty”
DVD, then sent an e-mail which I almost instantly regretted, and most definitely
made me look like an idiot.
I was pretty sure I had totally blown it. Then a few weeks after Chaos my
phone rang and it was Athenar. I answered, totally unprepared
and surprised. I thanked him for calling. He blew it off. I said something about
Midnight being back home after touring, he said some thing like
‘yeah.’ I didn’t have any of the notes I had made, and was struggling to come up
with a question that would get an answer longer than just a couple of words. I
mentioned the DVD. If you’ve seen it you know they’re playing on this stage with
a chain link fence up. So I asked about that. Were they playing in some
dangerous Metal bar somewhere or something like that. At this point
Athenar actually opened up a little bit and told me about the
club. Apparently it’s some shitty “hipster douche-bag bar. They think they’re
fucking funny when they have a Metal Night once a year.” Again there was
silence. I figured I’d cut my losses, and try not to look like too much of a
“hipster douche-bag” and still get something that could go to print as an
interview, so I asked Athenar if it would be okay if I just
sent him a few questions via e-mail that he could reply to at his leisure. He
agreed, and that mini e-interview is what follows. 
I really recommend checking out their website, http://totalmidnight.webs.com/ , for merch, discography info, as well as some cool inside info about the band.
THE INTERVIEW…
Are you excited to tour still? NO, I’M NOT EXCITED TO TOUR. I DO LIKE PLAYING
THE GIGS THOUGH. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT TOURING BLOWS THOUGH. MAYBE
IF I WERE IN KISS OR IRON MAIDEN WHERE YOU CAN
AFFORD NOT TO DRIVE FOR 11 HOURS A DAY, GET TO SOME SWEATY CLUB, LOAD OUT YOUR
GEAR, PLAY THE GIG WITH NO MONITORS, BLOW OUT YOUR VOICE, SELL SOME T-SHIRTS
WHILE STILL SWEATY FROM THE GIG, LOAD OUT THE GEAR, FIND SOME DIRTY FLOP HOUSE
TO CRASH FOR THE NIGHT, WAKE UP EARLY AND DO IT AGAIN. BUT IT IS COOL TO HAVE
THE PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE MUSIC COME TO THE SHOW AND GO WILD!
Do you get any label support for your tour? WE GET SUPPORT LIKE “YEAH GO GET EM CHAMP” KIND OF SUPPORT, BUT NO MONEY. THIS IS UNDERGROUND HEAVY METAL. WITH THAT BEING SAID THE LABEL WERE ON (HELLS HEADBANGERS) DOES A GREAT JOB AT WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO WHICH IS SELL RECORDS!
How do you feel about some of the other bands you’re compared to (Mentors, Zeke, Nashville Pussy, etc.)? I NEVER KNEW WE WERE COMPARD TO ZEKE AND NASHVILLE PUSSY, MAYBE I SHOULD RE-THINK MY LIFE!
Which other bands playing Chaos are you looking forward to
seeing? WE WERE THERE ON SAT AND SUN SO I MISSED GATES OF SLUMBER AND SAINT VITUS. BUT THE OTHER DAYS I DID SEE A
BIT OF ARES
KINGDOM, WINTER, DEVIATED INSTINCT AND DROP DEAD. I’M NOT A HUGE FAN OF HARDCORE
SO I WASN’T TOO FAMILIAR WITH MOST OF THE BANDS PLAYING.
Favorite beer/shot combo? FAVORITE COMBOS? I STILL LIKE THE ORIGINAL FLAVOR THE BEST, SOMETIMES THE PIZZA ONES ARE GOOD TOO.
I was pretty happy that Athenar had a sense of humor about this. I also doubt I’ll ever try to interview anyone again. By the way the bands that I mentioned Midnight being compared to all came about in a drunken conversation in a bar trying to explain to someone who had never heard the band before what they were like. Several people suggested genres and bands to help. I just picked Mentors, Zeke, and Nashville Pussy because they were the first three names I remembered from that night.
