Getting to Know… Dean Wallace and the Black Flames | Interview 🎤

In the 388th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from French heavy rock band,  Dean Wallace and the Black Flames.

“The band’s sound is deeply rooted with the metal from the late 80s early 90s.” The 80s and 90s were both great eras, 🎙 Dean Wallace and the Black Flames! Dean Wallace adds regarding his ‘heavy rock’ band from France , “I write and record the songs alone, and I play them live with The Black Flames.” Like our many other Getting to Know Q&As, we get the inside scoop on the genesis, goals, musical influences, and current  and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into 🎤 Getting to Know… Dean Wallace and the Black Flames: Interview No. 388!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Dean Wallace and the Black Flames distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Dean Wallace: The band’s sound is deeply rooted with the metal from the late 80s early 90s. I’m a big fan of this era, my favorite bands have released most of their best albums in this decade (1985-1995). Let’s say it’s the starting point of our style and sound. We don’t try to emulate any modern style or band, so we’re pretty unique in that way. It’s a bit old school, but we don’t follow any trend. The name is also unique because it’s Dean Wallace & The Black Flames. Back in the 70s, soul or jazz artists would form a band to go on tour, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I write and record the songs alone, and I play them live with The Black Flames.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Dean Wallace and the Black Flames form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

DW: The lineup is very recent actually. The band has been inactive between 2017 and 2023, so it’s a new start for us. I started to write and produce music again when the pandemic hit. Since 2017, I play guitar and sing professionally in different cover bands, so I wasn’t allowed to do my job during lockdowns. When 10 songs were ready, I decided to form a new lineup to get this project back on track. I hired two musicians I knew from my cover bands and met the 3rd one online. Our first gig all together was in January 2023.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

DW: I created this band with my brother 12 years ago, and I would say the mindset is still the same for me. I just want to write the best songs possible and play live as often as I can. I’m already making a living out of music, but I’d like now to make a living out of my own material. The approach is a bit different now than it was with the first lineup (2011-2016). With the help of our manager in London, we try to focus a bit more on how my music should be released and advertised. I also put more effort in the game of social media. I was very arrogant 10 years ago, and I thought that having good songs would be enough to get noticed. I realize now it’s not the case. But yeah, same goal: become big and tour the world 😉

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

DW: The bands that influenced me the most are Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Queen, Pink Floyd and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But if I have to pick three guys as my main influences, I would say James Hetfield (Metallica), Freddie Mercury (Queen) and Michael Jackson. These three are amazing front men and entertainers. Hetfield is pretty obvious, me being a fan of Metallica, but Michael Jackson is a bit more surprising I know. I was a big fan of MJ as a kid, before I played guitar. I love the way he used his lyrics from time to time to say important things, and really love the way he approached music videos. And Freddie is Freddie, the best singer of all time, who could hold 80,000 people in the palm of his hand. I also admire his dedication and devotion to music, especially the last years of his life.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

DW: We had a very good time playing at “L’Usine”, in Geneva. The sound and the light were great. While we were in the dressing room, the bass player told me: “Do you realize Hellyeah played here?” I was so excited to play on the same stage than Vinnie Paul (Pantera drummer), he was, and still is, my favourite drummer. I remember us wondering if he had been using the same dressing room, sitting on the same couch, using the same toilets… Nothing very wacky has happened to us so far, sorry…

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

DW: It’s “Get Away From My Home”. We had our first success with this song. Back in 2011, we had just released two demo songs online when a Californian radio station specializing in metal contacted us offering to include a song in their monthly compilation, Kill City. We accepted the proposition without hesitation. Each month the station organized a vote amongst its listeners to find the most popular songs on the playlist. We came in first with “Get Away From My Home” winning precious radio airtime. In another overall vote including all the groups featured on the monthly compilations, we finished second out of over 600 groups! It was an absolute surprise, and I remember thinking: “Woah, my music is appreciated in California!” I think my determination to become a professional musician built up from this point.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

DW: A talent, which is not so secret, would be my ability to write, record and produce an album alone, from A to Z. Also, I have a strange relation with time. At any moment of the day, I can tell what time it is, with a precision of more or less 5 minutes. When I was a kid, I heard that the pope Jean-Paul II was getting weaker and weaker. I said: He’s gonna die next week. I gave the date and the time, and he actually passed away at the exact minute I had predicted. Strange, hum?

Closing out, what is Dean Wallace and the Black Flames currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

I trust my music. I know that not everybody is gonna like it, but I’m sure a good part of the rock and metal community is gonna appreciate this band. Everything we do has one goal, get our music heard. So, we’re gonna release 4 singles to promote the EP (first single), and probably release an album in early 2025. We also try to play live as much as we can. If we count and add the experience of each member, we reach around 1000 concerts. Playing live is fully part of our lives. We will do our best to find gigs by ourselves to kick start the new EP and lineup, but I really want to find a booking agency anytime soon to help us out on this.

Thanks again, see you soon guys.

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Getting to Know… Dean Wallace and the Black Flames: Interview No. 388 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Dean Wallace and the Black Flames; Tumisu via Pixabay]