Interview: Dave Witte of Municipal Waste

Last updated: 2024/07/03 at 3:36 PM

When Municipal Waste hits the shores of Australia this July for their 2024 tour, fans can expect an explosive mix of thrash and fun.

To find out more about the tour, we had the chance to catch up with the band’s powerhouse drummer, Dave Witte who shared about his love for AC/DC and even included a fun experience when he visited Bon Scott’s grave in Perth.

SR: What is your favourite thing about touring Australia or what are you most looking forward to?

DW: We’re all looking forward to returning to Australia because it’s been a couple of albums since we were last there. We love Australia, and all the shows have been great. This will be our third time there, and it’s Pete from Whitehorse’s birthday on the first day of the tour, so I’m sure we’ll have an extra special time celebrating in Melbourne.

SR: What has been a highlight for the band this year so far?

DW: We did our first headliner for ‘Electrified Brain’ this year, and it was a slam dunk! We brought all our friends on tour, and the turnouts were fantastic. Everything was great! Necrot hasn’t toured in quite a few years, and they’re back; we love them and Dead Heat as well, so it was awesome!

SR: Do you have a funny tour story that you would like to share?

DW: Once, we flew RyanAir from Italy to Spain, and you board the plane from both sides with no assigned seats. I remember the plane taking off down the runway while people were still standing and loading their luggage into the compartments. Over the PA, the flight attendant announced, “We are about to take off, feel free to take a seat.” I started laughing so hard; people looked at me like I was insane. I just couldn’t comprehend how crazy the moment was. The plane was speeding down the runway, people were still standing, and no one seemed to care.

Another story is when we were in Perth and visited Bon Scott’s grave. We’re huge AC/DC fans, so we turned up at the cemetery, and there was a caretaker kneeling down tending to some plants. He just took one look at us, pointed, and said, “He’s over there in the back.” We all thought that was pretty funny.

SR: Are there any up-and-coming bands that you have discovered and that we should check out?

DW: I love Gel; they’re from New Jersey. We took them through the States two years ago and to England with us. I really like them a lot. There’s also an Australian band that rips so hard. I don’t know if anyone knows about them; they’re called Erupt and they put out a killer EP that I can’t stop listening to.

SR: What is a weird item that the band has signed for fans?

DW: We’ve signed many things like body parts and all sorts. Nothing is weird anymore because everyone wants to have everything signed.

SR: A friend of mine tells me that you like vegan food. Is it harder to find a vegan restaurant on tour?

DW: These days, it’s way easier to find vegan restaurants than it used to be. I’m looking forward to discovering new vegan restaurants in Australia. Sometimes, you can’t find anything when you’re out in the middle of nowhere because those places haven’t caught up yet. I feel like the whole world is pretty progressive in those situations; things are more readily available than they used to be. So, I don’t have too hard of a time eating vegan on tour. Even in Japan, I didn’t have a hard time.

SR: What would you like to tell Australian fans?

DW: Everyone needs to listen to AC/DC, Rupture, and Donny Benet! They are my favourite Australians. And I can’t wait to go buy some King Gizzard records. I’m still trying to figure out where the best record stores are in Australia. Pete from Whitehorse used to work at a record store there years ago, and he’s been giving me lots of recommendations for places in Melbourne to check out!