antiMusic: Is there someone else you would like to work with in the production sense?

Mick: I suppose lots of different bands want to work with different guys, I don't particularly care as long as a) he's easy to work with and understands what we're trying to do and b) has the end result kicking ass. We've been working with Andy Brook at Scream Studios in Croydon, and he is a prime example of someone who does that. I don't need to sit there and explain WHY I want to do a three-part harpsichord harmony, he knows exactly what I mean and we just do it. I think it's important to have a relationship like that when you're recording music. You want it done as well as we possibly can as smoothly as we possible can, and that's what we get.

antiMusic: What is your favorite track on the new album?

Mick: As a rule, the last track we recorded is always my favorite. It's always exciting to hear it coming together in the studio and inevitably it'll be the one I'm most interested in as soon as we've done it. My favourite track would maybe be 'Dig Your Grave'�coz that was the first one I wrote for this band. I like the Flight Of The Bumblebee too � it's only a short one but I like the sheer madness of it.

antiMusic: What is your favorite song to play live?

Mick: Probably 'Dig Your Grave' again coz it's the one that everyone knows. We usually play it last in the set and it's cool to see everyone go crazy when that riffs kicks in. I used to have some tracks that I didn't like so much�but they were tracks we didn't record and we more like 'fillers' at the time. They were good songs, I just wasn't feeling them like I do the rest. We don't have those in the set any more!

antiMusic: Touring in the States can be difficult as people are generally very picky about embracing new bands. How do you think playing in the States affects the band?

Mick: We're yet to play the States, so that's a fairly hard question to answer. I think that with the States being so vast, the responses could vary a lot from gig to gig as different places will have different scenes and different expectations of you. By and large, if you're to play a run of dates in England you can get an idea of what the shows ahead of you are going to be like as you go along. Of bands I've known that have been out there, they've had a blast. Or an absolute nightmare. But the latter tends only to happen when there were internal problems with the band anyway and/or somebody stitched them up financially. It's a pain in the balls as an unsigned band in the UK to get out to America, as the vast majority of bands would have neither the necessary exposure nor the cash to stump up for the flights. We were looking at some dates across Texas a while ago and the idea ended up getting scrapped because we needed the money for other things. The USA plan is back on track now though, I'll let you know as soon as we're coming! We can't wait to get out there. How exactly The Green River Project will go down in Seattle, or what the locals might make of zodiac signs on posters all over San Francisco remains to be seen. I might need the Kevlar.

antiMusic: What would you be doing for a thrill if you were not playing music?

Mick: I have absolutely no idea. When I was growing up I was always gonna be a dentist, so maybe I'd be doing that. Or maybe I'd be drinking myself into oblivion. Or perhaps I'd have gone to University. Maybe I'd be a guitar teacher, maybe I'd be a porn star or maybe I'd be dead. Anything I might do 'for a thrill' could be done again now anyway! Went skydiving last year, was fairly insane. Want to go to China to take on the Macau Tower bungee now. I used to be a gym addict back in the day�I can't imagine I'd have stopped that if it hadn't been for music. Playing guitar is something of an obsession for me and I was becoming more and more concerned about f***ing my hands up with weight training. To be fair though, I doubt I'd have gained the same respect in the world of bodybuilding that I might in the world of guitar playing, so perhaps it's a good thing!

antiMusic: Where do you see yourself in 3/6/12 months?

Mick: I always hate this question � it's always worded like the reviewer is going to hunt you down and laugh at you if you say you're gonna do something in particular and don't. We want to get the album out there, see our faces plastered all over the magazines and I'm waiting for my hate mail over someone who takes offense at the band imagery. Had a few of those, but nothing too extreme. We want to get out on the road, get the music out to as many people as possible and generally just kick ass. Record deals and whatever can wait. We just wanna look ourselves in the mirror and know we did a good job.

antiMusic: What is your favorite album of all time? Why?

Mick: I've got loads of favorite albums�and I'll go through weird phases of listening to them for ages and then not for years. My favorite album EVER would perhaps be Blizzard Of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne, because that's effectively the one that got me into guitar playing in a big way. Had I never heard that album, I wouldn't be doing this interview now.

antiMusic: What is the most challenging moment you have experienced with this project?

Mick: Raising the money necessary for everything, as bizarre as that might sound. Studio time is extraordinarily expensive when you're funding it yourself, and even a simple task like getting out on the road to do a couple of shows can very quickly rack up a large price tag. That and banging your head again the wall trying to come up with something that you like better than the last thing you recorded. I'll write something every day but the majority of it people will never hear � it can be very frustrating constantly trying to come up with something cool � then all of a sudden you'll write something and wonder how you did it.

antiMusic: Would you do anything differently?

Mick: Not really � the band is still a very new project and we've had an excellent year so far. We've been getting a load of publicity, along with packing out our own shows and being fortunate enough to play Bloodstock festival � getting Adrian from Cradle Of Filth on the record was a bonus, and we've got a load of exciting stuff in the pipeline too. We're lucky to have had all this going on. Most bands don't get that.

antiMusic: What sort of advice would you give other musicians just starting out?

Mick: Work hard and go for it. As soon as you say you're going to do something big and try to make a success of yourself, everyone around you will try to dissuade you and tell you you're not gonna do it. I have no idea why they do that, but you should never listen to them. You're only gonna live once and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be 90 years old, look in the mirror and wish I'd just done it. There is an endless amount more respect due to the man who gave it his all and failed than the one who never tried. If you want something bad enough, you can get it. The only reason the others failed is because they either weren't good enough or didn't work hard enough.

But whatever you do, you need to be intelligent enough to look at what you're doing in an unbiased way, and decide if what you're doing is actually really good, or if you just think it is. Play your music to people who wouldn't have any reason to kiss your ass unless they liked it. If they give you a thumbs up, great�but don't be put off if they don't. If you think it's honestly good enough to compete with the best of them, go for it and don't stop. People said the Beatles were going nowhere in 1963. "A man can fall down many times in life, but he is never a failure until he refuses to get up." � Evel Knievel.

Last bit of advice would be this � bizarre as it may sound in an interview�when you're in a band, you're gonna get laid. And when you do, wear a condom! Don't kid yourself into thinking the girl's only got eyes for you. She doesn't � she's f***ed all the guys in the other bands too so watch what you're doing and take care of yourself. Don't be a dick.

antiMusic: What musician would you like to play with? Why?

Mick: Personally, Yngwie Malmsteen. Not because he's the best, not because he's the biggest or whatever but because in the absence of Randy Rhoads, he's the biggest living inspiration to what I want to do. From a sensible career point of view I'd probably say Metallica or someone�I'd wanna play with Ozzy Osbourne. Or Marilyn Manson. I don't know. F*** it. I'll do a record with Snoop Dogg.

Priestly offered free MP3 downloads to antiMusic readers all you have to do is drop an email over to [email protected] and Priestly will send them their 5-track 'Dig Your Grave' EP as mp3s. The band myspace is at www.myspace.com/greenriverproject08

By the way dear readers, below is the reference I found on Wikipedia for "8213 Summerdale". Not for the faint at heart.