We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Count Scapula. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Count below.

Alright, Count thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I have never been happier with my vocation than where I am currently pursuing my life in the entertainment world. Like many musicians we all have day jobs in Dead Alive that support us primarily and pay our bills. Our band is our art and until that can develop into a machine that has demand for us to travel the world and make money being traveling T-shirt salesmen, we will need to continue to work our day jobs.

For me specifically I have fully committed to the entertainment world, working on the business end of the industry. This has been a very fulfilling vocation for me, being able to work with artist’s on their project and being able to pay my bills that way. My day job also provides me resources which I can use on Dead Alive to help my band grow, and doubly being a band in the local Nashville scene, playing shows, going to shows, and meeting other bands and creatives helps build my network in the industry.

I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a more stable income “regular” job as I am defiantly still living the “starving artist” lifestyle. I think maybe I wouldn’t be so worried about money. But I look at friends who have “regular” jobs, being able to actually have savings for the future, and able to do and buy things. But then they get a mortgage and then have a kid and then money is a big concern again.

I like the flexibility I have with my current career. I don’t plan on changing vocations anytime soon.

Count, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Count Scapula, the Frontman for the Nashville Splatter Thrash Metal band, Dead Alive. We are a theatric, horror/monster themed band that blends styles of Thrash, Death, Doom, and Black metal into our music.

in 2021 we released our debut album “Rise of the Skeleton Army” which is a semi-concept album about Metalhead Skeleton monsters.

in 2023 Dead Alive was able to start being an active band, playing shows in our local scene. We were also able to establish a social media presence last year as well.

We’re here to make spooky, badass metal music with hopes to help cultivate Nashville into a stronger metal city. What sets us apart from other bands is a focus on fun theatrical live shows. We’re a costume band, and each member of the band is a different monster. I, Count Scapula, am the Screaming Skeleton. I wear skeletal corpse paint, and a tattered leather motorcyclist outfit with exposed bones. Our Bassist, Dedman Walken, is a punk-rock deadite zombie from the necronomicon. Our Drummer, Dead-Beat, is the wraith of perpetual blast beats. and our lead guitarist, Manthing, is the scariest monster of us all… a normal looking guy. We’re still looking for one more monster to join the band. Someone who can shred the dead, and take the second guitar duty away from me.

I’m very proud of the last Dead Alive show from 2023. We had a great turnout at that show, there were a bunch of people all wearing Dead Alive T-shirts they got from previous shows. We sold a lot of merch. We sacrificed our merch skeleton to the moshpit where he got absolutely torn apart. Like the scene from Day of the Dead where Capt. Henry Rhodes get torn apart by the zombies… But the skeleton got torn apart by a bunch of metal heads. It was awesome! You can watch the entire performance on our YouTube channel!

There’s a stereotype for the Nashville metal audience that we “don’t mosh”. (unless if it’s a big band like Cannibal Corpse) But after the last few Dead Alive shows, the pit has began to open up in Nashville!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

For music. the best way to support artists and creatives is to buy merch, and go to shows. Most local shows are cheap! If you really dig the band buy a shirt! if you love the music, buy an album! People complain about high ticket prices for some major artists, which is valid in one respect. But for the price of one expensive show you could go to 20 to 30 local shows and buy their merch. As little as streaming provides to artists at a small level, It is important to stream band’s music, specifically on Spotify. Because when it comes to important numbers, stream counts and monthly listeners are what labels and algorithms look at when deciding to work with a band. Social numbers are also important so give bands you like a follow!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I hate metalcore… and the modern stylings that are developing in the heavy music scene. All the respect to those artists for being able to grow their audience and be successful at doing what they are doing but it’s just something that doesn’t connect to me.

And unfortunately, the old guard for the music I love is beginning to hit retirement age, or all the bands I want to see are in Europe. Even when they do come to America, they tend to skip over Nashville.

So the Goal is to be awesome, be memorable, and play some badass metal. The Mission is to turn Nashville into THRASHVILLE!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://deadaliveofficial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadalivemetal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadAliveMetal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deadalivemetal
• Other: https://deadalivemerch.store/ https://linktr.ee/deadalivenashville

Image Credits
Ray Lee Rose