Boneyard is a female-fronted hard rock/ metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Interview conducted on February 22, 2021
By Dan Locke
Launched in 2015, Canadian hard rock/ heavy metal band Boneyard is the lifeblood and passion of vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Pamtera. The members bring a wealth of experience from previous bands that include: Tyrant, Septimus and Powerslave. The band started out as a cover project, but has been writing original music for the past three years. In May of 2019, the group entered producer/ engineer Cam Macleod’s [White Wolf] Wolfs Den studio in Edmonton and began recording their debut album. After an extended COVID-19 pause, the band returned to complete the project in August of 2020. Eleven tracks were then sent to be mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Halford, Armored Saint, Anvil etc.) in Los Angeles, USA. What emerged is the Oathbreaker album, released on October 24, 2020. The first single, Fates Warning, dropped on October 17, 2020. With their tireless work ethic and creative ambition, this album builds on the promise of the past as it positions the band for a focused, fresh, and fiery future at the forefront of modern hard rock and heavy metal.
What is your upbringing?
Pamtera: I was raised in Yellowknife NWT, as my father worked in the gold mines. There were a yearly folk festival, one adult contemporary station, and a couple of rock bars. I was really sheltered to new music until I moved to the big city of Edmonton, Alberta when I was 23.
How did you discover music?
Through my older brother and his record player. At first, I really enjoyed disco and owned the Saturday Night Fever, Shawn Cassidy, and KC and the Sunshine Band albums. My brother was disgusted that I would listen to disco and would play me Sweet, Kiss, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd until he changed my mind.
How did you start to write music?
I started writing lyrics and poems when I was around 16. My first band was called Strawbridge and we wrote original music, that was in 1992.
Describe your music.
Boneyard is female-fronted hard rock/ melodic metal, with powerful, clean vocals, and includes a European-sounding production, with a Canadian twist!
Pam- How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
When I was 16 my boyfriend played guitar, he started showing me chords and often left his guitar at my house. He eventually gave it to me, but I lost it, it was in someone’s moving boxes for 10 years! The neck has been broken and repaired twice, but yes; I still have it.
Pam- What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
I have 2 Vintage Ibanez RG550’s with the wizard necks made in the 1980s, I love them both! And they are both blue, one is called Chuck and the other is the Evil Twin.
Pam how did you start Boneyard?
After a brief stint in an all-female Misfits tribute band, I wanted to get back to playing heavier stuff with guitar solos. As a result, I started Boneyard in 2015.
How did your band get its name?
One of our members listened to Sirius satellite radio and noticed that most of our cover setlist was also played on the Ozzy’s Boneyard channel. We decided to use Boneyard as our name mainly for familiarity to the style of material we were covering. Once we started writing our own material and headed in an all-original direction, we kept the same name due to the following we had built up.
What was your first performance together like?
As is the case with a lot of other band’s first shows, we had a lot of friends and family come out to support us. We played three sets of 70’s/80’s hard and heavy classic rock.
What makes a good songwriter?
A good songwriter writes from the heart and usually from experience. They can listen and know what the song needs to convey a feeling.
What is the process of writing your music?
Riffs and melodies can pop into our heads at any time, or simply by jamming. From there, we add, and arrange, other riffs/ parts that complement the first. Lyrics are sometimes inspired by the feel of that particular song idea. Otherwise, our bassist Dennis or myself will have some pre-written, and it’s just a matter of matching them up to something appropriate. Ideally, we like to test a new song in a live show to see if anything needs tweaking.
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
We all belong to SOCAN, The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.
Half your band went on the Monster Cruise in 2018. How was it?
I highly recommend going on a rock cruise. I have been on three of them and they are a blast! You get to see over 30 bands, meet and hang out with the coolest artists and fans on the planet! They sometimes have musicians that you can usually only see in Europe such as Doro, Rose Tattoo, and Loudness. We also signed up for the cruiser jam session and the musician(s) who plays on your song is a surprise until you get on stage. One year I got to play guitar on AC/DC’s Walk All Over You with Jeff Keith from Tesla. I also sang Budgie/ Metallica’s Breadfan with Johnny Fenton (Killer Dwarfs) and Green Manalishi with Roxy Petrucci (Vixen).
What was the title of your first original song?
I think it was a song about love and loss, I had a working title of “Never Again” Did you record it? No, I never did.
Tell me about your debut album “Oathbreaker”?
Being our debut release, we had a wealth of great riffs and melodies to work with. We originally had over 20 songs written, but narrowed it down to 11 for the album. The recording was a long process due to a COVID-19 pause. We recorded at Wolfs Den Studio in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where we’re based. It was a pleasure to have Cam MacLeod of White Wolf fame engineer, mix and co-produce our album! The album sounds awesome, especially after being mastered by Maor Appelbaum in Los Angeles, California.
What is your favorite track on the album?
Oathbreaker, the title track, is my favorite song. I love the way the song helps to make you feel the disappointment, anger, and sadness of a time when someone close to you breaks an oath. I feel Oathbreaker can have many different meanings for the listener.
How do you stay healthy while performing?
Drinking water and not too much alcohol!
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
Nowadays, streaming music is very popular. However, it’s really unfair that musicians do not receive an appropriate amount of royalties. Most people are floored when I tell them that a play on Spotify or Youtube usually will generate .001 of a cent!
How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score? Because of social media #sonyrecords vs. F#
It was so strange when the hashtag came out, I was like what is this? A sharp? That is how I remember it. I don’t say hashtag, I say sharp boneyardrocks… heh heh!
Digital vs. vinyl?
Oh, man vinyl sounds better, warmer, but digital is so easy. I use both.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
Fantastic Things by Annihilator, it’s truly a song about change and realizing what you have and how you can open up to a new reality about yourself. If you can, find the acoustic version!
Both (Pfizer and BioNTech) and Moderna have conclude Phase 3 Study of the Coronavirus vaccine. With the both vaccines, it takes two shots. How many people do you think will take it and how many will forget to take the second shot?
I would think that someone who is taking the first shot would make it to a second shot without forgetting, I know I would. Why would you only commit to the first shot? That makes no sense to me!
To make things a bit more complex, There is talk that people could either mix the manufactures of the vaccines or in the case of Moderna studies have shown you could take a half doses for the first shot and still be alright for the second vaccine. Do you feel that this is right?
With all the changing information out there, it’s hard to know. I guess time will tell.
How long before the whole world will be vaccinated against the virus. You have to remember there only has to be a 70% for Herd immunity (Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.)
Could be anyone’s guess on this one, and I bet it will be different for every country. Canada really dropped the ball on getting the vaccine! Where we live, it won’t be available to the general public until the fall of this year.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Sadly, it has closed down a bunch of venues here in Edmonton. We can only hope that things will recover and new venues will open up. Let’s think positive!
You were recording your album, then you had to break for the virus. What were you doing during this break? Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
During the break, I decided I wanted to make music videos. At first, I wanted to just learn about making lyric videos and just general editing. But after watching videos of an amazing artist Peter McKinnon, I was really interested in actual filmmaking and filming the videos. I purchased a camera and started shooting and getting ideas for our upcoming music videos.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
I don’t watch much TV; I love movies so the only service that I use other than our TV is Netflix.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Once again, musicians are getting the bad deal while others make money off them. I’m sure musicians will find a new way to livestream for free!
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
That is a question I ask myself every day. I’m hoping that staying active online, releasing music videos and songs will keep our fans engaged.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
I was surprised at how many magazines and online services approach us to pay for ads which include interviews and reviews.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
That would be cool!
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.”.” Is Canada doing anything to help save the industry?
Our Government does have a relief fund for those self-employed in the music industry and the Canadian Council for the Arts is providing 60 million in advance funding for musicians and artists in Canada. I just read a report that said the evaporation of the live music scene has led to a decline in revenue of $233 million in just six months and that the industry will likely not recover to pre-COVID levels until at least 2023.
In the past if a musician stops doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a music, licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
I’ve really been interested in music videos so I guess if I could expand on my knowledge and experience and produce more music videos, that would be very cool.
What is your happy place?
Being at a lake, backyard, or on stage in the summertime.
Danny Wimmer Presents just announced their 2021 Festival Calendar: Which includes the following live shows: DWP Partners With Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival For July 23-25 Event In Mansfield, OH
Louder Than Life Set For September 23-26 With Newly Added Thursday Night Celebration In Louisville, KY
Welcome To Rockville Expands To 4 Days And Shifts From Spring To November 11-14 In Daytona Beach, FL Aftershock Set For October 7-10 In Sacramento, CA, Almost Sold Out
Would you be willing to play these shows and what precautions would you like to have in place?
Wow, that would be awesome. Of course it would be great to see masks used and social distancing to protect the fans, musicians, and other workers involved. I guess it would also depend if we would be allowed to leave Canada as well as we are not allowed non-essential travel at this time.
Spotify just deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists. Was your saved?
We have had none of our songs deleted. Woo hoo!
Sony Music in November and Warner Music Group in December, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed on (February 8) that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
At this time, I’m not interested in Tik Tok.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thanks for your engaging questions and allowing me to promote my band Boneyard. To everyone out there….be kind to one another! I hope you can check out our music and videos, and interact with us online. Take Care!
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