Dead in 5 has become an in-demand live act headlining Metro Detroit’s top venues and festivals, in addition to support slots for national acts Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Sevendust, Pop Evil, Texas Hippie Coalition and more.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Dead in 5 is:
Robert Libres - vocals
Brent “X19” Hall - Guitar
Peder “The Terminator” Seglund - Guitar
Dana “Deadly” Forrester - Bass
James “El Tigre” Trunko - Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Dead In 5? How long has the band been around?
Dead in 5 was born from the ashes of two acclaimed Detroit bands: Mansfield Park and 60 Second Crush in December 2012.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Our name Dead in 5 is about living like you’ll be Dead in 5..What if you only had 5 years or 5 days to live..what would you do? That being said - we rock and live like there’s no tomorrow.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
The band writes the music together. Typically Peder or Brent will bring in a guitar riff and we will build on it together at rehearsal. Rob writes all the melodies and lyrics. Dead in 5 has amazing chemistry. Although our new CD “Schizophrenic Razor Project” just came out - we already have songs written for the next release. We plan to return to the studio in September.
In terms of themes - many of our songs are about overcoming obstacles. Life may be a struggle, but ultimately it’s about perseverance. Detroit was the largest city in history to go through bankruptcy. Our songs definitely reflect our city’s problems, and personally - trying to earn a living, make your mark, and have a meaningful life and relationships.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Everyone in the band has influences, but in terms of inspiring our actual music - we don’t try to emulate ANYONE. If you listen to our new CD, you’ll see hear we really have our own sound, and live - we straddle genres. There are no rules for us..we create, play and perform what we like.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Not really, I think for all of us - creating music and performing live is a compulsion and an addiction. We have to do this…it’s just who we are. Rocking in Dead in 5 is truly our ultimate fix.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
We warm up, stretch the fingers and limbs, but most importantly, it’s about a mind set…”Time to CRUSH!”…and we do!
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We have been fortunate to have so many career highlights in our short time together. Our music has been featured in several shows on MTV. We also had 8 of our songs licensed for the movie “Pro-Wrestlers vs. Zombies” (Troma Entertainment) starring WWE legends Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jim Hacksaw Duggan, Shane the Franchise Douglas, Matt Hardy and Kurt Angle. We attended the movie premiere in director Cody Knotts’ hometown and got to meet and hang out with all the wrestlers which was pretty killer.
Most recently, we opened for Rob Zombie’s guitarist John 5 on two dates of his solo tour. Those were amazing shows.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Our goals are not really to tour with particular bands, but more importantly to rock festivals. We are striving to be added to Rock on the Range, Rocklahoma, Fort Rock, and to perform at overseas festivals including Hellfest (France), Download (UK). Sonisphere (UK), and Wacken (Germany).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Check out Dead in 5 at deadin5.com, facebook.com/deadinfive, twitter.com/deadin5 and instagram.com/deadin5bandofficial
Dead in 5’s new CD “Schizophrenic Razor Project” is now available on iTunes, Amazon and Cdbaby.com. We hope to see you on the road…Long live ROCK!