Interview by Kris Peters
Following the release of last year's album Dreams And Lies, LA-based rock singer/songwriter John Demena found his career on an upward trajectory.
With his music now circulating in the right circles - including album opener and single I The People making Loudwire's Weekly Wire Playlist as one of the Best 50 Rock & Metal Songs of the week it was released - Demena attacked his craft with renewed vigour.
Opportunities began to open up, one of which was the chance to play at the legendary Viper Room in West Hollywood. And what better way to celebrate that landmark than recording your whole set? And what better than that?
Re-releasing the album's successful single as a live cut.
Which is exactly what Demena is doing on January 27 when the live version of I The People - recorded during that show at the Viper Room - is released.
HEAVY spoke with Demena about the track and asked him to tell us a bit more about himself.
"I'm a rock artist out of Los Angeles," he explained. "I grew up in Spain, then moved here in 2008 around the recession and all that. I was playing in bands and doing sessions for other musicians and many different things. Then I started my recent project as a solo artist five years ago. The debut album came out last year. It's a full and diverse sonicsphere, all over the spectrum of rock. It goes in the hard rock sound, but sometimes it goes a little heavier, sometimes it can be a little more spacial and progressive."
In the full interview John talks more about the project, the live version of I The People, what it was like playing and recording at the Viper Room, his previous release which was a cover of The Doors People Are Strange, putting his own spin on a classic song, future plans and more.