Interviews

Mo’Royce Peterson of Tragedy speaks to PCN Magazine’s Claire Stones

Our Contributing Editor Claire Stones sat down with Mo’Royce Peterson of Tragedy to talk about their new album and all things Tragedy.

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Check out my review of their album at this link

Tragedy Bio

Born out of the impenetrable divide of Disco and Metal, these fearsome brothers fearlessly obliterated the truce line that had been set in the great Disco/Metal Peace accord of 1977 when they seamlessly blended the two genres with their debut album, We Rock Sweet Balls and Can Do No Wrong – a collection of Bee Gees songs redone in a heavy metal treatment reminiscent of Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Guns N Roses. Since then, they have crisscrossed the globe with their spectacular live shows, storming across the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Switzerland. On subsequent full length albums, Humbled By Our Greatness, Death To False Disco Metal, The Solo Albums, The Joy of Sex, Tragedy Goes to the Movies and #1 Christmas Holiday Party Mix, Tragedy spread their glittered wings to take on non-Bee Gees classics from the disco era, soft rock anthems and party jams. In 2015, Tragedy broke the internet with a viral video featuring their take on You’re the One That I Want from the Grease soundtrack. In 2017, Tragedy’s video for Stayin’ Alive broke the internet once again. In 2019 two albums hit the NACC Heavy Top 30 charts.


In 2021, Tragedy signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. The first album with Napalm is Disco Balls to the Wall – release date July 30, 2021.


Tragedy takes disco, soft-rock and pop classics, and completely reimagines them as glorious, red-hot heavy metal. Their music is sure to get your head bangin’, your booty shakin’ – and put a smile on your face and your fist in the air.


Tragedy’s concept, while subversive and humorous, goes well beyond what others have done in satirical music – they celebrate the soul of the original song, even while turning the soundscape on its head. The amps are cranked to eleven, but the emotion is not lost. You discover new meaning in songs that have been a part of your life for as long as you can remember. You laugh and cry. Dance and mosh. And feel newly connected to the disco-metal that was inside you all along.


Tragedy does not lazily rely on the concept or “the joke”. The band plunges deep – blazing musicianship, tantalizing riffs and stunning vocals. All except for Lance the towelboy. He’s just an idiot.


Also uniquely “Tragedy” is that they are the only “vocal group” to exist in heavy metal. Everyone in the band sings – trading off lead vocals and creating lush harmonies. It’s as if they’re the Bee Gees of hair metal. Or the Eagles of…LIFE metal!


Tragedy consistently tours North America, UK & continental Europe, and has headlined festival stages of events such as SXSW (USA), CMJ (USA), Musikfest (USA), Bloodstock (UK), Rebellion (UK), Summer Breeze (Germany), Foudrock (France), Motocultor (France), ParkPop (Belgium), Glastonbudget (UK), Legends of Rock (UK), Belladrum (UK) and Hammerfest/Hard Rock Hell (UK).


Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden
“Tragedy rocks sweet balls and can do no wrong! They are great fun!”


All About the Rock
“Far from being a novelty act, these guys are GENIUS. If they don’t put a smile on your face, you must be dead inside”


Metal Hammer
“Camp as a row of tents, and with more hooks than hell’s cloakroom, Tragedy guarantee it.”


Tiny Mix Tapes
“Tragedy manage to dwell in the realm of novelty while far exceeding their worth as a concept…the aesthetic is somewhere in between the flamboyance of the disco-era Bee Gees and the flamboyance of mid-eighties hair metal, with some extra flamboyance thrown in for the sake of flamboyance.”


The Sun, UK
“Hard riffs, tight white flares, and even tighter octave-scraping harmonies…essential listening.”


Metal Rules
“The greatest heavy-metal-meets-disco party you could possibly wish for.”


Kerrang
“Back in the dark days of disco, the Bee Gees were the shit, despite having massive teeth, bigger hair and a falsetto only dogs could hear…with the righteous power of heavy metal, We Rock Sweet Balls and Can Do No Wrong mixes Guns ‘N’ Roses swagger, the Scorpions’ sense of pomp and Judas Priest-esque vocals to create a sound that is exactly like The Darkness!”


VH1
“You’re the One That I Want” Heavy Metal Tribute to ‘Grease’ is as great as it sounds. They created a music video for the cover, and it is exactly what you’d think a heavy metal version of Grease would look like. Between the crazy outfits, wild hair, air guitars, and locker room parties, the only question left to ask is, why hasn’t this idea been adapted into a full length movie yet? We want more!”


Loudwire

“One of the hottest videos. These kids aren’t the leather jacket-wearing greasers from the ’50s, but rather a modernized hard rock band of brothers attending the Our Lady of Perpetual Decimation high school. When the leader, Disco Mountain Man, arrives back in the halls, he’s greeted by his buddies who ask him what he’s been up to all summer.

And much like Grease, it’s revealed that he met up with a girl. But this is no poodle-skirt wearing young lady. Instead, it’s an anarchy-loving blonde bombshell decked out in black and red. What follows is a re-imagined version of the song, with an ominous opening bass line and killer vocals from Mountain Man reminiscent of some of ’80s metal.”


Billboard
“Decked in their hair-metal finest, with no can of Aqua-Net spared, Tragedy frolic on the beach, woo their ladies and then unleash their thrash chops in the most anarchistic pep rally this side of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The result is hilarious and arguably even more heartwarming than the original, not least for the visual pun unleashed on the line ‘it’s electrifying.'”

Guitar World
“Tragedy: All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees & Beyond has indeed pulled off a spot-on hair-metal spoof of the song, complete with a locker-room scene that takes place at Our Lady of Perpetual Decimation High School.”


USA Today
“A note-perfect hair-metal spoof of You’re the One That I Want, complete with a locker scene set at Our Lady of Perpetual Decimation High School. Only instead of pony tails and poodle skirts, the girls have teased hair and tattered Hot Topic outfits. You’ll never see Danny and Sandy the same after this metal ‘Grease’ cover.”

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