Meet Raymond Mac Donald | Guitar in Kombat

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raymond Mac Donald and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raymond, do you have a budget?
We always try to save money anyway we can. We print our own shirts and started doing our own recordings, which has saved us a lot of money. We try to use band money for band expenses exclusively. So far we’ve been able to use band money for most things, but when it comes to things like touring and more professional recordings, we might have to put up some of our own cash. None of us are really big spenders in our personal lives so it translates over.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We’re excited to put a split demo out later this year with our friends band and look forward to start working on our first full album. We did a tour in 2019 and put an EP out in April 2020 that we’re pretty proud of. We made the template and ordered the CDs ourselves as well as put the songs up online and had it put out on tape in the UK with Nuclear Family Records and by Transylvanian Recordings from Oakland, California. It was rewarding to hold a copy of a CD/tape with music we recorded since this was our first time doing so haha. With quarantine we’ve had to learn new ways to stay productive, so we started learning how to mix our recordings after acquiring a few mics since we couldn’t go to the studio. We have a few music video ideas we’re excited to work out later this year as well. There’s lots of struggles being in a band whether it be money or time but if you can just find a way to make it work, it will. You just have to really want it. We still have a long way to go but we’re ready for whatever is next.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would probably hit up The Catch in Denton or J Sushi, then hit up a show at either Rubber Gloves or Andy’s. After that we’d go grab some drinks at Cool Beans or Eastside then go somewhere after the bars close.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When we first started we didn’t know anyone so that made getting put on shows pretty difficult and without Nathan Dally (Tooth & Nail), Emma Lytle (Imperial Slaughter/Vault Dweller) and Tyler Berry (The Harbinger Group/Empty Shell/Vorrukt) we wouldn’t know any of the people we know today. There’s tons of people that have helped us in many different ways over the years, but these three are the very first to give us a shot!

Website: https://kombatdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kombatdeathmetal/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KombatDeathMetal/

Image Credits
Will Mecca