To play in front of this many kids in this kind of heat, probably the hottest summer most places can remember, what's it like to still see the kids going crazy?
It's pretty amazing. I give a lot of props to them, man. We are up on stage dying for like 20 minutes and they are out there for hours. I can only imagine what it's like being out in that crowd with the heat, sharing space and dying with 10,000 other kids.

This second stage features bands like Killswtich Engage, As I Lay Dying, just bands that bring it every day. How does that help you playing with bands like this every day?
It really makes you go out there and perform, man. You just can't go out on stage and make it happen. You have to earn it, especially with all the great bands playing because almost every single band on the second stage throws the fuck down every day and are not kidding around. So we have to go up there and bring it every day or we will get booed off the stage.

There is Wicked Wisdom who obviously is bringing something different to the second stage. But even Gizmachi is bringing a little more melody and harmony than what some may expect. What's it like playing a bit off the beaten path?
It's quite the feat, but it's been working for us. Obviously, I can't speak for Wicked Wisdom, but our sound has definitely been working for us. It's been amazing so far. We can't ask for a better opportunity, and the fact that we are not getting booed off the stage every day is a plus. I mean, we tell the kids to put their hands in the air, and thousands of hands raise up, they just go crazy. I mean, during our second song every day it's like a war zone. It's been pretty fucking amazing for us, man.

Gizmachi is getting the best of both worlds right now. You are playing huge outside festival-type shows and in between, you get to play more intimate shows in clubs. How cool is that?
It's really cool. I mean, we are a brand-new band, so it's kind of like conditioning for us. Today we played at 10:10 in the morning and last night we played at almost 10 at night. So you play at 10 at night, are exhausted, help the crew load out, don't get out of there until 2 or 3 in the morning and then you play again in a few hours. So it is definitely like conditioning kind of thing, almost like a drill experience. But the shows have been amazing, and even on the off-shows we are playing with some amazing bands. Our off-dates are with Shadows Fall, In Flames and Arch Enemy; you can't fucking beat that, dude.

As a fan of music, is it hard to see yourself as an equal to some of the bands you admire?
It is definitely different and definitely something to take in at first. But we worked very hard to be here, and we feel we deserve to be here just like every other band. We may not have been doing it as long, but we have been graced with the opportunity and we definitely feel we deserve to be here.

What is the scene like on the other OC, Orange County, New York? And was it hard to break out as a band?
It was actually quite easy for us because we didn't conform to every trend that comes along. Orange County, New York is a very trendy area as far as scene wise. And a lot of great bands that were fucking awesome like 3 years ago just completely turned into different band that sound like that popular music out there today. The best thing you can do is stay true to what you know and what you are doing and it will work out. If you conform to every trend, you will sound like every single other band out there, so it just doesn't work.

Do you think that is one reason kids can relate to Gizmachi is because of that honesty and realness that you have?
Yea, I think so. We are getting a really positive response from kids about shit like that. It definitely helps that we don't sound like a lot of the other bands on Ozzfest. So it's definitely helping.

Overall, you look at where you are now, the tours you have done. Is this where you saw Gizmachi two years ago or are you still kind of pinching yourself when you wake up?
I'm done pinching myself, man. I was doing that when we got signed. But like I said, we really feel we deserve what we have, and we don't want it to stop now. This is a stepping-stone. Ozzfest is the jump off for a lot of great bands to start their careers. We are just very happy we got the opportunity to do this tour, so it can help set up a bunch of tours in the future for us. We have made some great friends; everyone on the second stage is top-notch people. It's really cool; it's like a little family over there. We are really happy to be a part of it.

Was it hard for the band in the beginning being signed to Clown's label (of Slipknot)? Were most people looking for another Slipknot?
Yea, and we still get that, man. The reason I feel we deserve to be here is because a lot of bands are in that river and it's all flowing in one direction. But the river for us is going down hill, but we are going against the flow. It's an uphill struggle because a lot of people do think we are just that Slipknot band, or we sound like Slipknot or we are a new metal band or whatever. But if you just listen to like three songs off the record you will totally be able to tell that isn't the case. We sound nothing like Slipknot, we are not a new metal band, and we don't sound anything like that. People will see who we signed under and will say, "Okay, this is who and what you are." That is not the case at all if you would take the time to check us out you will understand what I speak of.