Recently, Steve Wilson, our guitarist, was interviewed by rock anthology author Jason Houston for his forthcoming book "Rock Zone" - which will take a closer look at the "tribute band" phenomenon sweeping the country. This interesting Q & A session between Jason and the War Pigs lead guitarist is posted in it's entirety below. Enjoy!
Jason:  How long have you been a professional musician?
Steve: Well, I consider a professional musician to be someone who makes a living playing - although I do get paid for most War Pigs gigs, I do also have a crappy day job! I guess I am a semi-professional musician then, and I first played onstage in 1986.

JH:  How did you hook up with the other members of War Pigs and come to form the band?
SW:  When Judas Priest played at the Mohegan Sun arena around a year-and-a-half ago I ran into Zap (bass), whose band used to play some shows with mine back in the '80's... he introduced me to Rory (drums), whom he was there at the Priest show with. I told them both I was looking to start a Sabbath tribute band, and we ended up exchanging phone numbers and a few weeks later, we got together and jammed and it was instant magic. We ran an ad in a local music magazine, and in walked the Son of Ozzy, Steve Frechette! From there we just worked hard getting ready for our first gig, which was a great success!
JH: What has been the reaction to War Pigs so far?
SW:  Well, it has been amazing. We can definitely say we are happy with the music we have chosen to play. None of the songs we play are less than thirty years old, and the crowds go nuts after each and every one. Playing the music of Black Sabbath is almost like having an unfair advantage!

JH: What do you believe sets War Pigs apart from all the other Black Sabbath tribute bands?
SW: Without a doubt, our attention to detail. On some songs, every note, every little nuance, is analyzed and discussed. We try to accurately reproduce a a live Black Sabbath concert, circa 1975.

JH:  Why go the route of a tribute band rather than form a band that writes/records/performs original material?
SW:  Haha, most of the guys in the band already tried that when we were kids... this is a way to play, have fun, and to help the Sabbath legacy take it's first steps into immortality.

JH:  How would you describe your fan base?
SW:  Lots of headbangers and chicks!!!

JH:  What do you think of Black Sabbath touring with Ronnie Dio and calling themselves Heaven & Hell?
SW:  Personally, I think it is great that they are finally separating the real Black Sabbath from all the other lineups that came after the Ozzy era ended. I have tickets to the upcoming Heaven & Hell show at Mohegan Sun, but I would have most likely boycotted the concert if they had billed it as "Black Sabbath" again. The real Black Sabbath was Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill - and nobody else.

JH:  What do you feel makes a successful tribute band vs. a bad one?
SW:  The correct amount of recreational activities occurring at practice comes to mind... ha ha... also, it really helps if everyone in the band grew up listening to the shit!

JH:  What do you remember most from War Pigs' first live performance?
SW:  The mosh pit that the kids made in front of our bass player Zap!!! That, and the smile on my daughter's face as we blew the crowd away...

JH:  Do you change your set list frequently?
SW:  All the time. We are always tweaking it and adding and subtracting from it. At first we didn't do that, but now we realize it's a lot like baseball - you gotta have a strategy for each game.

JH:  What is the hardest thing about putting on the show you put on?
SW:  The hardest thing for all of us probably is waiting all day to play on the day of the gig. But the waiting usually ends up being a good thing in the end, because we're just about ready to explode by the time we hit the first chord of the evening (often just before midnight in our case).

JH:  What is the most expensive part of putting on your show?
SW:  Buying gas to drive to the show!

JH:  How big of a role do you believe the internet has played in helping to promote your band?
SW:  Absolutely, a huge part. Our shows are packed with people who checked our dates on our band website (www.warpigsinfo.com), and our MySpace presence has also been very beneficial, with several upcoming gigs in the works as a result of that little corner of the Internet.

JH:  Have you ever met any of the members of Black Sabbath, or know if they are aware of your band?
SW:  I have met all four original members of Black Sabbath, and I have all of their autographs on my Master Of Reality CD! I do not believe they are aware of our band.   

JH:  What does the future hold for War Pigs? Any chance of a CD or DVD?
SW:  Very doubtful. We are all in it for the live shows. Hope this has helped, good luck with the book!
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