Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: March 2008

Brian Rademacher: Tell me about Joe Di Taranto the child. What kind of kid were you in school?

Joe Di Taranto: I was a daydreamer. I was never really into the school thing. When I was there, I was always thinking about being elsewhere. My grades were ok, mostly B’s and C’s. Although when it came to subjects like English and music I got A’s. I never acted out or anything like that though. I showed up, did my thing and enjoyed the social aspect of it more than anything.

Brian Rademacher: What was the first concert you attended and did it have an impact on you, in what way?

Joe Di Taranto: If I remember correctly I believe my first concert was Ozzy Osbourne’s “Retirement sucks” tour. I was around 13 years old and although I already knew that I wanted to be by then, that concert just cemented it in my head even more so.

Brian Rademacher: What was the first record you owned?

Joe Di Taranto: That would be Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I was nuts over Michael Jackson when I was a kid. My first Rock record was QUEEN’s “A Night at the Opera” . To this day I am still the biggest QUEEN fan in the world. “ANATO” has to be one of, if not THE greatest record ever recorded.

Brian Rademacher: What was the name of your very first garage band and what kind of music did you play?

Joe Di Taranto: WARMACHINE. I’ve never been in another band. I started WARMACHINE when I was 13 and we played Heavy Metal right from the get go.

Brian Rademacher: As a kid what was the worst thing you did that your parents got pissed off about?

Joe Di Taranto: Wow, there’s too many to mention. I was a bad little kid, very mischievous. I got into all kinds of trouble. I loved playing with fire…still do! I think when I first began listening to Heavy Metal is what pissed them off or concerned them most. They thought I’d become a drug addict or a murderer or something. That wore off as the years passed and they realized that I have a pretty good head on my shoulders.

Brian Rademacher: How about the thing they are most proud of you for?

Joe Di Taranto: I think they’re proud that I am a very grounded person. I’ve had a good sense of who I am and what I want out of life from a very young age. I’m a good person and I always find a way to make them laugh.

Brian Rademacher: Growing up did you have anything posted on your walls at home?

Joe Di Taranto: : I still do. My walls are full of posters of my idols (ie. QUEEN, MEGADETH, RUSH, METALLICA, PANTERA, OZZY, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, etc.).

Brian Rademacher: What was your very first job?

Joe Di Taranto: My first job was in landscaping. I used to cut grass all day until my allergies forced me to quit. I hated waking up early as well. Not much has changed…

Brian Rademacher: Now moving onto to WARMACHINE, let’s get right to the meat of it, tell me your feelings about being screwed over by Dave Mustaine MEGADETH. You guys won the poll on theliveline.com to open for MEGADETH in Europe with 21% of the votes that was posted and got royally screwed by MEGADETH.

Joe Di Taranto: It wasn’t a good feeling obviously and it certainly didn’t get any better when his “people” informed me that he was threatening to sue me for telling people the truth about what happened. The whole thing was just one big disappointment. We were so excited to do the tour. Not only because we were such huge MEGADETH fans, but also because this was a great opportunity for us to finally go to Europe and play for all our fans over there. I don’t think things were done the right way or handled professionally whatsoever. We ended up winning the contest before Christmas and didn’t hear a word from anyone in the MEGADETH camp. I contacted Shawn Drover (MEGADETH drummer) who is a friend of mine and asked him if he had heard anything. He didn’t have a clue what was going on. I told him that either way, we were ready to go and had everything we needed to do the tour. I said the same to Dave McRobb (MEGADETH Webmaster). After almost 3 weeks of wondering what was going on, we came home after a show in Toronto and read on the MEGADETH website that they picked the band that came in 3rd place. That’s how we found out. Not the greatest news in the world, but I was ok with it. I figured, “Well that’s Dave’s decision.” The fans on the other hand were NOT happy. Then I read Dave Mustaine’s statement about WARMACHINE not having the “means or any way to do the European tour” and I was just appalled. It was completely untrue and I had to make sure people knew the real truth. So I put out my statement and Dave didn’t like that at all.

Mostly, I feel sorry for the fans and everyone that voted for us to win. They put the time in to vote, ended up winning, and got nothing for it. That’s the saddest part. It’s disappointing and not fair at all to them.

Brian Rademacher: “The Beginning of the End” that came out in 2006 had a great response, you also had David Ellefson formerly of MEGADETH on the release. What was it like working with Ellefson and did he have some good stories of MEGADETH? I heard a rumor that Ellefson can’t mention that in interviews.

Joe Di Taranto: Working with David was an absolute dream come true. He is by far my favorite bassist and it was unbelievable to work with him and have him play bass on our songs. He is a great guy and very fun to work with. At the time, MEGADETH had just broken up and David really didn’t have much to say about the situation. So he didn’t really have any MEGADETH stories to share with us unfortunately. It’s sad the way things ended for him as well. He’s such a nice guy and an honest guy. That’s something that’s really hard to come by in this industry and I really don’t think he was treated right in that band.

I heard the same rumor. I really don’t think that he can legally say “MEGADETH” in interviews. I may be wrong though. That’s just what I’ve heard through the grapevine.

Brian Rademacher: I saw a video of you on Youtube doing a Randy Rhoads guitar rendition, what does Randy Rhoads mean to you?

Joe Di Taranto: Randy Rhoads was a big influence on my guitar playing actually. When I first picked up the instrument, I was listening to Randy and Ozzy a lot. So he really had an impact on my style. He was a genius and such a gifted musician. It would have been impossible not to be impacted by him in some way. It’s such a shame he was taken away from us so early. Along with Freddie Mercury, it saddens me that I’ll never actually get to meet him or see him perform.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me about the DVD that came out last year?

Joe Di Taranto: Well, the DVD is called “Raw in the Hammer” and it is available through our websites. It was actually our bassist Alberto’s idea to film a DVD. We filmed the show in Hamilton, Ontario, which has been a great city for us to perform in. The audiences over there are always nuts which makes it continuously a very fun place for us to play. So we thought, why not film a DVD ourselves over there and release it independently for our real die hard fans to enjoy? So that’s what we did. There’s a reason why it is called “Raw”. It’s not professionally shot or anything like that. It’s just a bare bones WARMACHINE show with a bunch of extras. We put together a WARMACHINE documentary as well as a ton of back stage footage and a few select songs from other shows we filmed over time. It’s definitely a cool piece of memorabilia for any Warhead who hasn’t been able to catch us live yet.

Brian Rademacher: I was really exited that you agreed to this interview because WARMACHINE is one of my favorite bands on Nightmare Records. How did you hook up with Lance King at Nightmare?

Joe Di Taranto: Glad to do it! :)

Lance King came into the picture through David Ellefson. Lance and David have been friends for quite some time. So David suggested that we really consider working with Lance as he’s a very honest businessman and knows his stuff. When it came down to choosing a label to release our debut album on, Lance was the only guy that we really saw eye to eye with. And looking back, I realize that it was a great decision. Nightmare did a great job with “The Beginning of the End” and Lance is a great guy to work with.

Brian Rademacher: March 22 you will be playing Nightmare Metal Fest. What can fans expect seeing you live and will you be approachable to fans for autos and pictures?

Joe Di Taranto: Absolutely! We love talking to our fans and taking the time to sign something for them or take a picture. I can’t wait. We’re going to be playing on March 22nd and I think fans can expect a very energetic show filled with songs from “The Beginning of the End”, as well as maybe even a new song or two. It’s been a while since we’ve been over to the US. So we’re really looking forward to this! Go to: Nightmare Metal Fest for more info!

Brian Rademacher: What is Warheads?

Joe Di Taranto:
That’s what we call WARMACHINE fans…Warheads. KISS has the “Kiss Army”. We have our Warheads!

Brian Rademacher: Tell us a little about “Left For Dead" an (unreleased) song that will be featured on the "Behind The Suit And Tie" Soundtrack?

Joe Di Taranto: “Left for Dead” is a song I wrote about a very exhausting relationship I was in a few years ago. We recorded it last year and it is going to be released on our next studio album. If you’re wondering what the next WARMACHINE album is going to sound like, I’d say “Left for Dead” is a great example of what is to come. You can check it out on our MySpace (Warmachine) or the official “Behind the Suit and Tie” soundtrack.

Brian Rademacher: : WARMACHINE has a new CD coming soon. Can you tell us anything about it? by the way “Left For Dead” is killer!!!

Joe Di Taranto: Thank you! Right now I’m still in the process of writing the rest of the record. As I said before, “Left for Dead” is going to be on the album as well as 3 other songs we demoed with “LFD” in 2007. I have written about 80% of the new album and am hoping to hit the studio in the next month or so to begin recording it. Ideally, we’d love to have the album out by this summer.

Brian Rademacher: After the Nightmare Metal Fest will you tour and hit the East coast NY/NJ?

Joe Di Taranto: I hope so! We are currently trying to put together a US run of dates after Nightmare fest. So NY/NJ will definitely be in the cards!

Brian Rademacher: Now I know I will be getting an advance on the CD “Right”? because I can’t wait to hear it.

Joe Di Taranto: Ask and you shall receive!

Brian Rademacher: Will you be taping any of the Nightmare Metal Fest for DVD?

Joe Di Taranto: I am not 100% sure, but I’ve heard rumblings of a possible DVD shoot at Nightmare Metal Fest. You’ll have to ask Lance King about that one though. I think it’s a great idea!

Brian Rademacher: Let see what is in the mind of Joe Di Taranto, tell us what you think of the following in detail if possible.

What are your feelings about the world as we live in? Joe Di Taranto: It is what you make it. I choose to look at it as a beautiful place filled with tons of opportunity and happiness.

Brian Rademacher: What are your feelings about organized religion?

Joe Di Taranto: Not a fan. But I can see where it can be beneficial to some people. So I respect it.

Brian Rademacher: What do you think happens after death?

Joe Di Taranto: No idea. I hope that there is an afterlife. Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Brian Rademacher: What are your feelings about Mr. Lance King?

Joe Di Taranto: Great guy. I am very appreciative for all he has done for me and WARMACHINE. Thanks Lance!

Brian Rademacher: If you had a million dollars and could donate it to any cause what cause would that be?

Joe Di Taranto: That’s a hard question. I think I would donate half to cancer research and the other half to AIDS research.

Brian Rademacher: If you could have one dream come true for the future what would that be?

Joe Di Taranto: To meet and maybe even perform with the remaining members of QUEEN.

Brian Rademacher: What is a typical day for Joe Di Taranto?

Joe Di Taranto: Currently: Wake up at some point in the afternoon. Work out. Spend some time with my family. Maybe grab a bubble tea. Do some maintenance on a few of my aquariums. Feed my reptiles and amphibians. Possibly do some writing for the next WARMACHINE album. Fire off some emails. Then hit the sack around 3-4am.

Brian Rademacher: If you could open for any band (Excluding) MEGADETH whom would that be?

Joe Di Taranto: Personally, I would LOVE to open for QUEEN. But I don’t know if we would go over well with their audience. From a band standpoint, I’d love to open for HEAVEN & HELL, DIO, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA or QUEENSRYCHE. There are so many great bands I’d love to open for. Hopefully at some point we’ll be lucky enough to share the stage with all of them.

Brian Rademacher: What would you like to known for after you’re gone?

Joe Di Taranto: My music and my love of life.

Brian Rademacher: Hey Joe, this new CD is going to be a killer and I wish you the best and I hope to see your live show this year. Would you like to say anything in conclusion?

Joe Di Taranto: Thank you Brian! And thank you for your support!

I’d also like to thank our fans for their continued support and believe. In light of recent events, I’d like to let you know that although your votes apparently may not have meant much to “some people”, they meant the world to us. So thank you all. I hope to see you on tour real soon!