This is who I was born to be. However, the album name, Origins came from a retrospective exploration of music that has influenced me and was chosen to pay tribute to all of the music that inspires me.

I love to play live but dont get the chance to very often since I am the primary member of the band and it can be difficult to find a stage or touring band. Everyone seems to want to sing on my songs but evidently no one can play the instrumental parts live the way i hear them and create them in the studio.

Its a double edge sword. One side cuts through all of the hassels of an independent artist getting a record deal. There is always someone at a lable that wants to shape you to be more "mainstream" or sound like everyone else on the radio, thinking that is all people are going to buy. The flip side is that the internet also alows every hack with a beat-slicer to throw some unbelievably bad "music" out there and so fans have to wade through a ton of useless crap to find something they like. Its just way too oversaturated.

Like I said, a label typically wants to mold you into sounding like everyone else on the radio and I'm not down for that. There's just way too many bands sounding like Nickelback these days. If I was interested in going down that road I'd just join any one of the countless bands in the Dallas area these days. Im not saying never. I'd just have to retain complete creative control. That's including song writting, production, the whole bit.

My history has only just begun really. Ive done some things in the past but thats really got nothing to do with what Im doing now so why get into it?

Im influenced by almost everything I hear and get into almost every imaginable genre of music so the list is kind of frenetic. Ive been greatly influenced by Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and now Sixx:AM, but theres also Atreyu, Band of Horses, The Beatles, particuarly John Lennon, Tom Petty, Johnette Napolitano and Concrete Blonde, Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits, The Dixie Chicks believe it or not, Faith No More, Franz Ferdinand, Guns n' Roses, Hanoi Rocks, classic Iron Maiden, Jacksone Browne, Jason Mraz and the original Riott Girrl herself, Joan Jett. Then theres Kaisers Orchestra, The Kills, Matchbox Twenty, Megadeth, Melissa Etheridge, Papa Roach, Peeping Tom, The Perishers, Peter Gabriel and classic Genesis, Pink Floyd, Queensryche, The Riverdogs, Snake River Conspiracy, Tom Petty, Tom Waits, Tori Amos, We are Wolves and The Zutons. Hows that for a demented list?

I'm always up for anywhere no matter how large or rural. It's all good. I'll always find something to do. Anywhere from NYC to Longmont, Colorado is a great place to be but then again, New Orleans is a place all of its own.

I have a fetish for Gibson Guitars as well as classic Fender and Marshall amps. Also cant forget that Vox Amps get me hard too. Any piece of Mackie equipment I can get my hands on is a dream and I can spend days playing with old Roland effects. All of my production work is done in Tracktion with way too many plugins to possibly list.

of course you can also visit me on Myspace. Just go to www.myspace.com/damonmichaelsofficial