Mark Burkert (Tapping the Vein)

Hi Mark, how are you?
Fine...thanks. Resting from the first tour.

How is the new album "The Damage" selling?
I hope well... I check all the local stores and the stock seems to be low or empty... which is a good sign.

I guess you have recieved a lot of positive feedback?
Yeah, especially on line and in different music mags.

You have played live with such various artists as Sisters Of Mercy, Alanis Morrisette, Depeche Mode and more. You are also going out on a US Tour right now, but what is happening after that?
Another tour. We go out in a few days to tour with Kings X. One of my personal favourite bands ever.

Any summerfestivals? When will you make it to Europe?
We will perform July 13th at the Zillo Festival in Germany. I believe on the main stage.

How would you describe your music? If you would compare TTV with any other band/artist, can you think of any similar? I think it´s really a mix of several different styles.. but it sounds great in my ears!
Thanks for the kind words. I would say we´re a hard rock band with dark electronics. I don´t know who we sound like though. So many people say we sound like a combination of so many different bands.

Do you have any personal favourite song? I especially like the first 3 on "The Damage": The Ledge, Butterfly, Sugar Falls..
The Ledge is my favorite.

What music do you listen to yourself?
I´m a guitar junkie. I love all the shredders from the 80´s. Paul Gilbert ans Yngwie Malmsteen are two of my favorites. Fusion and jazz players too... Jimmie Bruno, Al Di Meola, Alan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson. I´m a big fan of the older metal as well.. Judas Priest, Rainbow, Iron Maiden. For newer music, I´ve been listening to BT, Curve, Rammstein and Ours (the band Ours, not TTV) to name a few.

The name "Tapping The Vein" is shortly explained in the press-release as "a reference to introspective creativity". Can you explain more about it?
That was our drummer Eric´s idea. He´s a big Clive Barker fan and I believe there was a series of comic books that Clive Barker put out called Tapping The Vein... meaning tapping the creative vein.

Is Heather (Thompson) the girl on the cover of "The Damage"?
Yes she is.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. Good luck with TTV, and I hope I get the chance to see you performing live sometime!
Thank you for your interest. We hope to meet you sometime soon.

The interview was made by: David A, 2002

Line up:
Eric Fisher - Drums, sampling & programming
Joe Rolland - Bass
Mark Burkert - Guitar
Heather Thompson - Voice