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Alex Varkatzas – Lead Singer of ATREYU talks MMA and Metal By Dave Carpinello
Atreyu lead singer Alex Varkatzas recently talked with PDG about the bands upcoming album “Congregation of the Damned”, training Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai boxing and the crossover of metal and mixed martial arts.
PDG: What led you to a career in the music industry? Alex Varkatzas: I have been in a band since I was in junior high and that is when some sort of “Atreyu” started with Danny, Brandon and I. I don't remember exactly what started it but I was always a big fan of punk rock and I definitely wanted to be in a band.
PDG: How many hours a day do you spend in the studio when you're working on an album? Alex Varkatzas: I usually get to the studio early in the afternoon and I stay until about midnight. I live down in Huntington Beach and the studio is up in Woodland Hills. So it's not exactly a nice drive because it is about 130 miles round-trip and I do that about four times a week.
PDG: When did you first get involved in mixed martial arts? Alex Varkatzas: About four years ago I saw the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and before that my younger brother had brought home some DVDs of the older UFC events. At first I didn't know what to think of it but then I started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and doing Muay Thai kickboxing. So I understand the underlying aspects of the sport more now and appreciate all the training it takes.
PDG: What’s your current level of jiu-jitsu? Alex Varkatzas: I wouldn't say I'm really good but I am definitely not really bad. I've had a take some time off from my training recently because I messed up something in my knee.
PDG: So when you're working on a new album and spending so much time at the recording studio; when do you get your workouts in? Alex Varkatzas: Usually in the morning before I head off to the studio but with the knee injury I haven't trained much jiu-jitsu for about the last year. So I have been working a lot on my Thai Boxing and I had an amateur fight earlier this year that I won. I try to do weight lifting three days a week and mix in some boxing and Thai boxing and other workouts. When I have the time I work out as much as my body can handle it.
PDG: It had to be pretty exciting to win your first amateur fight; what did you think about it? Alex Varkatzas: It was an amateur Muay Thai fight that was awesome and it was a lot of fun. There was little to no grappling involved and it was definitely a rush fighting in front of a shit load of people instead of performing a concert.
PDG: Are you planning on having more amateur fights and maybe turning pro someday? Alex Varkatzas: I think that the training is something that I do because I love it and the fighting part of it is a byproduct of me having a lot of spare time at home to be able to do it for fun. If I do it again it will be for purely recreational purposes because with my schedule I am not able to put 150% into the training which is where you win the fight. I was able to take that first fight because of the time off between albums, so we'll see if it happens again maybe there is a chance of it.
PDG: Are you planning to continue your jiu-jitsu training once your knee is healed? Alex Varkatzas: I have just started rolling again at A Team Jiu-Jitsu in Westminster, California and my coach is a real laid-back guy that I started training with when he was a brown belt. I've been able to learn a lot from him because of his level of expertise.
PDG: You have been friends with Josh Barnett for awhile; when was the first time the two of you guys met? Alex Varkatzas: I met Josh a little over a year ago; Josh met our manager at a big and tall store as they were both looking for some kind of a jacket for giant men. So they started talking it up and he had heard of our band and was from the area so we hooked up in the next thing you know he was choking me out....arm-barring me, ankle-locking me and one of my favorites, knee-barring me.
PDG: Have you had a chance to do any actual training with Barnett and the guys at CSW? Alex Varkatzas: Yeah we've been up to his place to train a couple of times but lately he has been so busy with all the stuff that happened with the Fedor Emelianeneko fight and being overseas that we haven't had the opportunity to hook up.
PDG: So do other members of your band also do mixed martial arts training? Alex Varkatzas: Yes I train Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing with our drummer Brandon Sallor who started about the same time that I did and then our guitar player Travis Miguel has been training Brazilian jiu-jitsu for over two years.
PDG: What is the release date for your new album “Congregation of the Damned”? Alex Varkatzas: The album drops on October 27th.
PDG: How does this album compare to your other releases? Alex Varkatzas: We always like to change it up and move forward. I think our last record was a little too methodic for some of the band member’s taste. The new album is still going to have some melody but it is also going to be more aggressive.
PDG: Do you get a lot of professional fighters that attend your concerts? Alex Varkatzas: To be honest I don't really know, I do know that there are fighters out there that are into our music and even a few that use it for their entrance into the cage.
PDG: Besides Josh Barnett, what other fighters do you enjoy watching? Alex Varkatzas: You are putting me on the spot right now. For straight up Thai boxing and kickboxing, I am a real big fan of Buakaw Por. Pramuk. As far as mixed martial arts fighters go, Antonio ‘Big Nog’ Nogueira has been a favorite of mine since I started following the sport because before I knew how to use the internet or YouTube was invented. I was watching bootleg DVDs of him choking the shit out of people. I was also a big fan of Ricco Rodriguez back when he was in shape and was a force in the heavyweight division. Anderson Silva seems like the easy answer but it seems like he is at the top of everyone's list to watch. You just can't go wrong with kicks and elbows!
PDG: You guys are going to be on tour promoting your new album and playing with “Hollywood Undead”. How long does the tour last? Alex Varkatzas: After I get back from my honeymoon we hit the road. The fall tour is going to last for six weeks and then we will come home for the holidays and then probably head back out for another tour at the beginning of next year.
PDG: Do you know the guys from “Hollywood Undead”? Alex Varkatzas: We haven't really gotten a chance to meet them yet but from what I hear they're really cool guys and I like their music so we are really looking forward to this tour.
PDG: Congrats on your upcoming wedding; are you going to work in any training sessions during your honeymoon? Alex Varkatzas: [Laughs] We are going to Australia and I know that John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr lives there so I might have to look him up and get kicked in the head a little bit.
PDG: Cool, thanks for the time is there anything you wanted to add? Alex Varkatzas: Anybody out there who is a fan of our music....I want to say thanks and I think you’ll enjoy the new record. We put a lot of work into it and we’ll see you on the road.
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