Chad Bowar: How is Waylon fitting in to the band?
Jeffrey Nothing: Recording-wise he fit in very well, and live is very good too, and the
frontman aspect is definitely more dynamic and unpredictible. I think it
will come around even more now that he's singing more songs that he actually
wrote and can call his own more. But the best part is the new
possibilities we now have with a more diverse vocal library to choose
from.
What does his presence add?
Harmony possibilities and a chance for us to
make it unclear who's singing. With J and I it was a lot easier to pick
who was doing what, when. I believe we've only scratched the surface
really with Waylon and this band. The music is so challenging now.
Did guitarist Bronson recently leave the band?
His parents offered to pay for him to return to school. We as a band do this
and it's enough, but some guys need to leave and pursue other dreams and
that's fine. To each their own.
Have you replaced him or are you playing with one guitarist?
We are just going with Gravy at this point, and that's plenty. He wrote and
performed most of XIII and all of Savior Sorrow so it just seems
natural. Why add to something that doesn't need it?
Why did you part ways with Universal after selling almost a half million copies of your last CD?
They had decided as the song "Crazy" was being picked to break us huge and
impacting at radio. We decided we weren't in their future plans. That's fine but it might have been premature. It's ok though, you can get lost in the shuffle at a major
whose interests lie more with rap and the million sellers already there. The
future is with independents. Majors are difficult these days.
How did you decide to sign with Megaforce?
We were being looked at by several labels and the other ones wanted to do it
with strict guidelines and the thought of building the band
when we feel we are on the edge of something bigger, not infants in this process.
Megaforce are visionaries and came out and saw us, and they put the time in
and worked with us to make the deal make sense and that mattered a lot.
Seeing the vision means a lot more then being told what it is.
What have been your high and low points (professionally) since you've
been in Mushroomhead?
The fans love of what we do and the way the music has touched so many lives, that's what you hope for most if you love what you do. I would say the "Slipknot thing" is a serious low point seeing yourself pass you by and become huge is hard to take. They can deny it in public all they want. They admitted to our faces in our own home
town bar. But, life goes on.
What has the response been so far to Savior Sorrow?
It's about 95% favorable. Some fans who think that we are just a metal band
are the fans that move on. We are an entity that evolves. Just look at
Savior Sorrow; it's intense but crosses many genres and the lyrics are the
most intense we have ever done. It is a true reflection of the state of
America and the world. We are in a crazy time and this album reflects that
very much. This album is very profound and brutally on target. Speak from
the heart not because you wanna look like a good little tool. I think the truth will make
those people sad in the long run. We are one of the few bands making
intelligent metal and heavy rock. I urge everyone to listen to more challenging rock and metal.
How has the band's sound evolved since XIII?
We went back to our drawing boards and did what we feel best. The songs in
some ways wrote themselves. Gone are the days of too many cooks. The process
was never
broke. If anything trying to take control spelled doom and here we are
arisen. Our sound is back to being truly our sound, from the heart and
sincere and I believe our best ever... These songs breathe and you
hear the slightest little sound at times coming from ones instrument
and then the crash of the full band. This isn't survival of the fittest
every second, and I think that's what separates us from the silly noise
of some of our contemporaries.
