Doomed Confessionary: Tony Salvaggio (Deserts Of Mars)

Deserts Of Mars is a sci-fi inspired stoner rock band hailing from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2006 by band leader and founder Tony Salvaggio, the lineup consists of Tony Salvaggio (bass, vocals), Morgan Faber (drums) and Kotah Mack (guitar).

Deserts Of Mars are currently gearing up to release their new full-length album »Dead Planet Exodus«, which will see the light later this year.

Can you say a few words about your band?
Sure thing! Deserts Of Mars was formed in Austin in 2006 with heavy fuzzed-out bass and the idea that the riff rules all! Heavily inspired by sci-fi and Tabletop RPGs, Deserts Of Mars delivers a dynamic sonic mixture of stoner rock, grunge, metal, and doom/industrial we call Mars Metal. The band is the culmination of everything I dig about sci-fi and rock poured straight from my/our hearts into the universe.

What was the biggest challenge for the band?
So far, the challenge has been keeping things together as life has thrown challenges at our former members, who have had to step away. It’s been hard to regain momentum after some of those splits. Finding the right people to take this musical journey with hasn’t always been easy.
Combined with the ever-changing world of music streaming and venues struggling to stay afloat, it is sometimes hard to want to keep pushing. However, everyone in the band has kept the vision and drive going, and we strive to move forward every day, even when things are rough. I’ve been lucky to have good friends, family, band members, and fans who have helped to keep the spirit alive.

What can you be most proud of so far?
Working off of that last question, I’m proud of our perseverance in the face of everything, and I really dig the direction the band is heading. I’m also proud to have worked with so many great musicians and good friends who helped forge what we are today. This new album, »Dead Planet Exodus«, is also some of our best work yet, and I am excited to get more tunes out into the universe.

What was your biggest regret?
I look back and wish I had handled some opportunities differently or pushed things in different ways to keep the momentum going as we went into lockdown and came out of it. However, the past few years have been rough on everyone, and we couldn’t have foreseen how things would go. It’s been a long, strange (and sometimes dark) era for a lot of people, myself included. That said, I also try not to get too mired in hindsight. Too much time spent on regret is time that could be spent concentrating on the road forward.

What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We’ve had some great ones, so that is hard to pick out. A few years ago, we opened a Worshiper Cabs Showcase for SXSW at one of our favorite places in the universe, The Lost Well. We met some incredible people we are still friends with, and I have a particular spot for that. One of the most memorable shows was the CD release for Transmission at one of our favorite venues no longer around- The Red Eyed Fly. Mike, who booked shows there, really helped us gain a foothold in Austin, which meant a lot. We were able to donate the relief fund for Japan at that time to help friends overseas. Around that time, we also played a magical show at The Parish here in Austin that still resonates as one of the best gigs we did with the Transmission band lineup. The first shows with Erik, Hsien_Hsiu, and later with Bradley were also rad, and the last few gigs with Kotah have had a great vibe. We’ve been lucky and have had a lot of fantastic memories with cool bands and friends. Every time we play to a great crowd, rockin’ out is a blast.

What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The change in social media and streaming has been a bizarre trip to go through since starting out in bands in the 90s. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the rise of platforms like Bandcamp, where people can buy your music and merch all over the world, supporting the band legitimately in extraordinary ways. The amount of music I am exposed to through that platform, YouTube, and a few other sites is phenomenal.
Also, I am always impressed at how many fantastic people I’ve met in our scene and how quick to embrace our vibe that people have been over the years. I’ve gotten to hang out with so many fantastic musicians and fans before and after we get on stage or when I’ve been in a crowd at shows; it is THE BEST. Our stoner rock/heavy rock/metal scene has been so supportive, and I’m always thankful and surprised when people come up to me and tell me how much they dig what we are doing.

What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I tend to listen to a lot of music, but lately, it has been Mean Mistreater, Destroyer Of Light (I hate that this last one is their final album), Slumbering Sun, the new Duel album, Haunt, and Messa in my local and friends list. I also keep going back to my favorites like Voivod, Queensrÿche, Big Business, Fastway, The God Machine, Mötorhead, Monster Magnet, Elton John, Godflesh, and Anthrax off the top of my head.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Never give up, and always be genuine in what you create. That perseverance and “stick to your guns” nature has been a guiding force even when it seems easy to quit pushing and give up. This industry can be harsh; it costs a lot of time and money, and everyone in the band has to be in tune with the vision of where things are headed. That’s hard to maintain. I kept going because it is my purest form of expression, and the music we make is exactly what we want to do. I don’t know what else to write; it will always be Mars Metal, this amalgamation of everything in my heart and brain flowing out through the speakers.
As I age and it gets tougher to get ahead, one of my favorite guiding quotes comes from the late great Lemmy Kilmister: “If you think you are too old to rock’ n roll, then you are.” I hope to never get too old to ROCK.

What are your guilty pleasures?
I am a big fan of schlocky B-movies and off-kilter indie cinema. I also have a wide range of music on my shelf, and I will go from some pop music to something heavy and grinding and back to an anime soundtrack. I grew up in a tiny town and was left to my own devices to figure out what was “cool,” so I had to forge my path. I still love comics, anime, video games, and stuff that wasn’t cool but is now.
I hope this doesn’t come off wrong, but lately, I feel like guilty pleasure is a misnomer. I feel like we should just enjoy stuff, and as long as what you dig doesn’t hurt yourself or others, go nuts. Watch a horror movie and a romcom, or whatever music you want. That is one of the most freeing things I’ve realized as an adult, free of peer pressure. If someone is going to judge you because you don’t fit a category or like music and movies they don’t like, they probably aren’t fun to hang out with anyway. That’s my approach, anyway. I have no problem switching from something heavy and brutal to some hair metal like Vain or something even more pop-y if it moves me.

Can you say something more about the music scene in Austin / Texas?
Austin, Texas, is a great place to have as a home base, and we are truly blessed with some of the best bands and a supportive scene. It can be a double-edged sword because there are often so many excellent shows that it’s hard to go to all of them and support all the bands. There can be a fair amount of competition for booking good nights, but there is also a lot of great comradery in our scene. The plus side is that you usually have some great choices every night if you want to go check out a show.
As with everywhere, many venues have closed, and live music is a struggle, but I try to look on the bright side. I’m saddened that corporate greed is killing so many great venues, but I’m thankful I get to hang out and share the stage with so many cool people making great tunes.

Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We are currently booking shows in Austin and hope to expand beyond that in the near future.
Definitely keep up with our Instagram, Facebook, and our website to find out all of our live news. We have some good stuff coming up!

What are your plans for the future as a band?
We want to get out into as many live venues as possible and really push this new album and our new lineup. Now that we are feeling good in the practice space and out on stage with Kotah, we are writing new tunes, and I would love to go back into the studio next year. We’re also in a couple of soundtracks for some indie films that our friends have coming out, so I am stoked about that. I would love to do more of that in the future. As a film buff and soundtrack fan, it has been excellent to hear our music in a couple of scenes as they put the films together. We’ll update our fans in all the usual places when those films are out in theaters or streaming.

How can people best support your band?
Bandcamp is the best place to support us at the ground level; we currently sell all our merch there. However, the metrics that most people use for booking and label interest is the number of current Spotify (and other streamers to a lesser degree) streams, so we encourage everyone to stream our tunes through there or on your platform of choice (along with other bands you are into). We may not make tons of money through streaming, but it helps as a barometer of interest.
Spreading the word, letting people know what you dig, and watching our videos on YouTube all help immensely. If you like something, write to us in the comments, on Bandcamp, or social media and let us know. That means the world to us!!

Do you have any message for your listeners?
First off, thanks for all of your support and for rocking out to our music. That keeps us going through tough times, and we appreciate it more than we can express. Be on the lookout for the album release later this year, and if we hit a stage near you, be sure to hang out. I love talking about music, movies, sci-fi, and other nerdy stuff. We hope you dig the new Mars Metal as much as we like making it, and we’ve got a lot more where that came from in the works! Keep ROCKIN’!!!

Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well