Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Mark: I formed this band with our original drummer Chris Avgerin in 2016. At the time, I was revisiting a lot of the classic metal bands I’d grown up listening to, and my intent was to create a band that would be the next branch from those roots, but without being retro or ironic.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Mark: I’ve seen some reviews call us “classic heavy metal with prog influences,” or something similar. I’m not a fan of labels but it’s hard to argue with that.
Crimson Moon: How has the band response been?
Mark: So far, so good!
Crimson Moon: Where did the band name come from?
Mark: A “black site” is essentially a secret prison, where the government can detain people without any adherence to the legal system. The term gained notoriety during the first Iraq war, but in our hometown of Chicago, the police have had their own black sites for years, where they would detain and torture people. While I don’t consider us a political band, it seemed important to me that the band’s name reflects injustice in some way, regardless of the direction we head in musically or lyrically. Plus, it sounds cool.
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members.
Mark: The band currently consists of Ryan Bruchert (guitar/backing vocals), Garry Naples (drums), and myself, Mark Sugar (vocals/guitar). We will announce a new bassist in the very near future.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Mark: We have “In Monochrome” (2017), “Exile” (2019), and a new album “Untrue,” which is due out October 8.
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some of the songs on the latest CD?
Mark: The new songs are some of the most complex writing we’ve done, but also the most focused and direct. All of our influences are in there somewhere, but we’re reaching a point where we have our own signature sound, and nobody other than us could have come up with these songs. Lyrically, it’s a product of the dark times we’re currently in, but there’s a few uplifting moments and even a tiny bit of dark humor in there too. If anyone enjoyed our last album “Exile,” I think they’ll really like this one.
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Mark: Generally, I’ll bring in song ideas for the band, and the other guys will make changes and additions to the music as they see fit. Then I write the lyrics.
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Mark: Anywhere from my personal life, to current events, historical events, people I know, people I don’t know, movies, comic books I read as a kid, etc. It could be anything.
Crimson Moon: Has the Covid Pandemic impacted the band at all?
Mark: Oh yeah. By my estimation, the pandemic has delayed the release of this album by almost a year. Besides the fact that we couldn’t play live, we also couldn’t really rehearse together for a year and a half. Music aside, the pandemic affected our livelihoods, our health and our families just like it did everyone else.
Crimson Moon: Do you have any side projects?
Mark: Garry and I play in a death metal band called Bear Mace. Ryan also plays guitar for grind legends He Who Corrupts. Garry’s in a bunch of other bands too. I wouldn’t call any of these bands “side projects” — they’re all important to us and we prioritize accordingly.
Crimson Moon: What is the music scene like where you guys are from?
Mark: Chicago is a harsh, desolate environment where only two people know how to play drums. Both of them have been in this band.
But seriously — Chicago is great. People here have shown great support for music, especially in the last year and a half when it was much needed, and I’m proud of that. There are a lot of great bands here from all genres, and we consider many of them to be our friends.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Mark: Speaking strictly for myself: Black Sabbath, 1980’s thrash, Voivod, Queensryche, Trouble, Fates Warning, King’s X, Van Halen, Hammers Of Misfortune, Rush, Mercyful Fate, Thin Lizzy, Failure, Motorhead, and probably 1000 other bands. I’m on a ZZ Top kick lately (RIP Dusty Hill).
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Mark: It’s not that different from hearing us on record, but with the added bonus of seeing us, and if you’re really lucky, smelling us.
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Mark: Each of us has played outside the U.S. with other bands, but Black Sites has yet to make the trip. If any EU promoters are reading this, hit us up!
Crimson Moon: How has the fan response been to the band?
Mark: Our band is not for everyone, but the people who get it REALLY get it, and they’ve been great. Most of them seem to be obsessive music fans just like we are.
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band?
Mark: Well, seeing as how I started the band, it seemed only fair that I should be in it. But in all seriousness, I really enjoy writing the kind of music we play, and playing with friends of mine who just happen to be incredible musicians.
Crimson Moon: If you weren’t in this band would you still be involved in the music industry?
Mark: I have one other band besides this one, so I guess the answer is ‘yes.” But I always feel compelled to write and record music, so I suspect I’d be doing that no matter what.
Crimson Moon: As a musician what advice can you give to fellow musicians just starting out?
Mark: All I can say is: do what you like, and focus on that. There’s not much to be gained as far as money or ego here, so make sure you like the music itself, because that’s really all there is. Oh, and don’t let anyone else tell you what to do, including me.
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band?
Mark: Our new album “Untrue” comes out October 8. We’re very happy with how it turned out, and we can’t wait for people to hear it. Beyond that, we plan to play some live shows if it remains safe to do so.
Contact them at:
https://blacksites.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blacksites
https://www.instagram.com/blacksitesmusic
