Damaged Goods
Prologue
In her first interview ever since the almost-fatal shooting that brought her to her knees in front of thousands of fans in Las Vegas, Nevada, more than one year ago, Annistyn Montgomery is back with a new band, a new sound, and a new point of view; not to mention a new appearance.
Last time we saw the Rock Princess, she was sitting before us with her neon pink hair and signature snakebites and was holding the hand of none other than the Guitar God himself, Synyster Gates. The pair of them were quite a couple, sitting before me with smiles on their faces as I asked them about touring and also their rumored engagement. The engagement part was excitingly true but, unfortunately, lasted about 6 months before the two decided to split. Not long after, Annistyn posted via Facebook and twitter that her longtime presence in her band Damsels in Distress had come to an end due to conflicting interests with the other members. The community of Damsels fans were devastated, but a short period of time as a fill-in guitarist seemed to satiate their hunger for her presence.
It was during one of her vocal debuts onstage, of which she sang one of the verses of Hollywood Undead's "Pour Me," that she was shot in the chest. "It was terrifying," she admits as she sits across from me, looking ever the part of a Rock Princess in her tight jeans and cut up tee. "I didn't even feel it enter my chest at first. I thought it was just my imagination, but when I saw the sea of shocked faces in the crowd, I knew I was a goner."
She spent the next few months in recovery after discovering the bullet had narrowly missed several of her vital organs. She was told she couldn't sing or even play guitar due to how close the bullet had come to piercing through the left part of her lungs. "It took a lot of support from my friends and family, and also a lot of determination on my part, to get through it all." She says in response to my question on how her recovery went. "It was hard to close my eyes at night or even at all some days without reliving the moment I was shot." Her support team consisted of her adoptive parents Janelle and Vince, her adoptive brother Jaxson and his daughter Lyssa, and a number of musicians she's come to know and love throughout her years in the industry. One musician at the top of her most supportive list would be Hollywood Undead vocalist/guitarist, Jorel Decker, or J-Dog. He was there from the beginning to the end of her struggles, not only as her boyfriend in the beginning but as a good friend to this day. "I honestly wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
It was nearly six months before the doctor gave her permission to continue her career, but once he did, she was more than eager to get her life started once again. "I had nothing but time on my hands while I was recovering, so I had plenty of opportunity to write songs and make plans for my future," Annistyn admits. "I think I had like thirty songs done in just a month. That's how eager I was to get back to my career." After getting situated back into her lifestyle at home, Annistyn went on a hunt for musicians to form a band almost immediately, eventually finding five others that got on well with each other. One of those five happened to be a female by the name of Dylenn Hardy, who was only seventeen and fresh out of high school but she had a drumming talent "that no one could deny." The other four recruits were male. The first one being Griffin Fletcher, a small town boy from southern California that had a knack for kicking ass at guitar. Following Griffin, Ryder Wilson was found, recruited for his ability to play keyboard and piano. Then, Jace Macky was brought in to add male vocals. And it was Malachi Gooding that came in to play bass for what would later become the band "Fatal Connections."
Together the five of them were able to form an album comprised of in your face lyrics, fast chords, and pounding beats, resulting in a rather addictive sound that proves that Annistyn is more than just a pretty face with talented guitar-playing fingers; she's a survivor.
Last time we saw the Rock Princess, she was sitting before us with her neon pink hair and signature snakebites and was holding the hand of none other than the Guitar God himself, Synyster Gates. The pair of them were quite a couple, sitting before me with smiles on their faces as I asked them about touring and also their rumored engagement. The engagement part was excitingly true but, unfortunately, lasted about 6 months before the two decided to split. Not long after, Annistyn posted via Facebook and twitter that her longtime presence in her band Damsels in Distress had come to an end due to conflicting interests with the other members. The community of Damsels fans were devastated, but a short period of time as a fill-in guitarist seemed to satiate their hunger for her presence.
It was during one of her vocal debuts onstage, of which she sang one of the verses of Hollywood Undead's "Pour Me," that she was shot in the chest. "It was terrifying," she admits as she sits across from me, looking ever the part of a Rock Princess in her tight jeans and cut up tee. "I didn't even feel it enter my chest at first. I thought it was just my imagination, but when I saw the sea of shocked faces in the crowd, I knew I was a goner."
She spent the next few months in recovery after discovering the bullet had narrowly missed several of her vital organs. She was told she couldn't sing or even play guitar due to how close the bullet had come to piercing through the left part of her lungs. "It took a lot of support from my friends and family, and also a lot of determination on my part, to get through it all." She says in response to my question on how her recovery went. "It was hard to close my eyes at night or even at all some days without reliving the moment I was shot." Her support team consisted of her adoptive parents Janelle and Vince, her adoptive brother Jaxson and his daughter Lyssa, and a number of musicians she's come to know and love throughout her years in the industry. One musician at the top of her most supportive list would be Hollywood Undead vocalist/guitarist, Jorel Decker, or J-Dog. He was there from the beginning to the end of her struggles, not only as her boyfriend in the beginning but as a good friend to this day. "I honestly wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
It was nearly six months before the doctor gave her permission to continue her career, but once he did, she was more than eager to get her life started once again. "I had nothing but time on my hands while I was recovering, so I had plenty of opportunity to write songs and make plans for my future," Annistyn admits. "I think I had like thirty songs done in just a month. That's how eager I was to get back to my career." After getting situated back into her lifestyle at home, Annistyn went on a hunt for musicians to form a band almost immediately, eventually finding five others that got on well with each other. One of those five happened to be a female by the name of Dylenn Hardy, who was only seventeen and fresh out of high school but she had a drumming talent "that no one could deny." The other four recruits were male. The first one being Griffin Fletcher, a small town boy from southern California that had a knack for kicking ass at guitar. Following Griffin, Ryder Wilson was found, recruited for his ability to play keyboard and piano. Then, Jace Macky was brought in to add male vocals. And it was Malachi Gooding that came in to play bass for what would later become the band "Fatal Connections."
Together the five of them were able to form an album comprised of in your face lyrics, fast chords, and pounding beats, resulting in a rather addictive sound that proves that Annistyn is more than just a pretty face with talented guitar-playing fingers; she's a survivor.