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02/25/10
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STAIND Singer Rethinking
Approach To Solo Album - Feb. 25, 2010 The Pulse of Radio reports that STAIND singer Aaron Lewis
has been planning and working on his first solo album for several years, but now he says he's rethinking how he's going to
go about releasing it. Lewis told The Pulse of Radio that the idea of putting out a full-length
album in the current music industry is less appealing to him at this point. "When you look at the market, it really doesn't
make very much sense to continue trying to put together a CD's worth of material, when people are gonna pick and choose through
it anyways," he said. "So there's gonna be two or three new songs that will be released virally, that will also
probably find themselves on the tail end of a live CD as well."
Lewis said he was heading
to Los Angeles next week to meet with a producer — whose name he wouldn't reveal — about recording his new studio
tracks.
The vocalist did not give a release date for the live CD, which is being recorded on his current solo acoustic
tour.
Lewis added that he would probably release a full solo CD after STAIND
records its next album, which will be its last for Atlantic Records.
Lewis continues
his solo tour on Thursday night (February 25) at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.
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Aaron Lewis remembers the first time he picked up a 1951
Gibson Southern Jumbo. “I found it at Willie’s American Guitars in St. Paul, Minnesota,” he says. “It
was actually Willie's guitar. I picked it up and played it and had to have it.” That impulse buy led to the 37-year-old Staind frontman, who has sold over 15 million albums worldwide
with his band, partnering with Gibson for the launch of the Aaron Lewis Signature Southern Jumbo guitar. Unveiled to industry
professionals at NAMM 2010 in January, the guitar will be produced in a limited run of 413 – the first 13 will be signed
and played personally by Lewis and hand-aged in the Gibson Montana Art Shop, to look and feel in every way exactly like that
original 1951 model. “It's just an amazing
sounding, amazing playing guitar,” says Lewis, who is playing the six-string every night on his current solo tour. “It
sounds like the way a vintage guitar should.” How
did you hook up with Gibson for this project? It
started with my collection and love for their old instruments. Six or seven years ago, I started playing Gibson's onstage.
That was when I approached them about being a part of the family. That ongoing relationship has turned into this signature
limited run. How would you describe the sound
of the Gibson Acoustic Aaron Lewis Southern Jumbo? Why
only 413 copies? There's 413 of them because
my birthday is 4/13. My area code is 413. My record label is 413. Our first record came out on 4/13. So that's a good number
for me. Are you sure that's enough? The only problem is that it's so beautiful I don't know if I could
stop staring at it long enough to actually pick it up. You
know, there were a couple that were put into the deal just so I can actually have one. I have the original but it doesn't
say Aaron Lewis Signature. The first 13 I hand-signed and played onstage live and sat at home on my couch and played with
them. I brought a few of them to my studio. They come with a pack of my signature SIT strings. They come with pictures of
my playing it live. I don't even know if they're still available anymore. I'm pretty sure they're all gone. I know 1 and 13
are gone because I tried to get those and they weren't available. How difficult was it convincing Willie to part with that original 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo? He
had to think about it for a minute. But then he let me have it. Did you have to dip into the "It's Been Awhile" royalties? If you have a place to keep the guitars like cigars, in a humidity-controlled environment, they will
never, never ever go down in value. I consider my guitars
like my stock portfolio. Has the guitar inspired any of your new songs? I've got a few these
days. I've got a 1958 ES 355 that is one of 10 guitars that was made the first year they made it. I play that onstage every
night. I have 1957 Les Paul Goldtop that used to be owned by Jimmy Ripp, who was Mick Jagger's guitar player through his solo
stuff. That guitar has been onstage with a lot of big people. I've got a whole bunch of J-45 acoustics. I've got some good
ones. And you actually take these
guitars on the road? They're the best sounding guitars I got. I'm not going to leave
the good ones at home. They're all in a vault and on the truck. I just hope when I walk up onstage every night they're still
there.
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Aaron
Lewis’ three daughters were uncharacteristically quiet last Wednesday as he walked into his Massachusetts home.
“It’s just a little too quiet,” he said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.
The oldest
– 7-year-old Zoe Jane — she’s in school, he said, but 4-year-old Nyla Rae and 2-year-old Indie Shay should
be home.
“Hmmm,” he murmured, walking around the house. And then: “Ahh, eating,” he said,
finally finding his two youngest in the kitchen. “That’s why they’re quiet. OK.”
He laughed.
“Three little bundles of joy,” he said. “I’m saying that with the ever-so-slightest hint of
sarcasm.”
For a guy who has spent the last decade as the frontman for Staind, one of the most popular and most
talented post-grunge bands of the era, being Dad is a perfect — however seemingly paradoxical — fit.
“I’m mush. I am. I’m total mush,” he said. “I look like a hard-ass on the outside, but I’m
very sensitive. I’m a big dork.”
The tattoo-covered rock star, who hunts and rides his Harley during
his free time, said despite the ups and downs of raising three little women, there’s not nearly enough time to spend
with his daughters, but he tries.
February and March shows have all been scheduled on weekends and as close to
home as possible so he can spend the week with his family.
Sometimes the girls – and his wife, Vanessa,
will come to a show.
“They’ll come to the show and see the first few songs,” he said of his
show at The Mohegan Sun this past Friday. “And then Vanessa will bring them upstairs and bring them to bed.”
It makes sense, then, that Lewis would be so at home on the stage by himself performing a set of intimate acoustic originals
and covers. With no more than a guitar, stool, microphone and pack of cigarettes, Lewis lays himself bare and vulnerable to
his fans in his solo show that for six years has been drawing sold-out crowds. He’ll perform that show twice, at 8 and
10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, in the Showroom at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino.
“This is what I did
before Staind and during Staind, before we got a record deal,” he said. “We’d do one or two nights a week
with Staind, and I’d do three or four nights a week as myself solo and that’s where I got money from …
I was doing that since I was probably 17.”
The acoustic sets have become most representative of his art:
words – which speaks loudest through what he writes, he says.
“As a lyricist … it’s kind
of gratifying to play a show that instead of all the stuff – the lights, the guitar solos, the riffs, the loudness,
the thunderous drums and everything else that is there stimulating your senses along with the words – with this the
words are the centerpiece,” he said. “Songs that even I listen to and say ‘Man, those words just go by so
fast you can barely understand them,’ now they’re in full view and there’s nothing distracting anybody from
the words.”
And, in a time when the art of songwriting has been replaced by performance and marketing, the
solo show becomes even more rewarding, he said.
For more on Cassaundra Baber’s interview with Aaron Lewis,
visit her blog at www.uticaod.com/talkofthetune. |
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A simple Google Image search reveals many sides of
Aaron Lewis: the eager outdoorsman hoisting a pair of largemouth bass out of a lake with his well-inked arms; the Ford truck-tough
bouncer-type whose perma-scowl seems to start at the summit of his Bic'd head and run all the way down to the base of his
square jaw; the in-his-element artist posing with his prized 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo six-string like he's hugging a girl
in a prom picture. If you dig a few pages past
those, though, you'll catch a glimpse of a different version of the 37-year-old Staind frontman: the self-described "conservative
capitalist" who recently got the words "Proudly Made in the USA" tattooed over a flag on his inner bicep and
"Don't Tread on Me" inked in gothic text across his throat. That's the Aaron Lewis we got to know during a recent interview promoting tonight's solo acoustic
show at the Wellmont Theatre — Aaron Lewis the American, the guy who moved out of the trailer park by fusing confessional
songwriting with hard rock (and holding tightly to a combination of the Protestant work ethic and the gospel according to
Rush Limbaugh). In the wake of Republican Scott
Brown capturing the Massachusetts Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy, Lewis has quite a bit to say. As he warned, "I can't
help it when you start talking politics." You
were raised in Massachusetts. What are your feelings on Scott Brown's Senate win? I couldn't be more ecstatic about it. I'm not a representation of the majority of Mass., but it seems
that, as with so many other places, all of the liberals and Democrats are all in the big cities. You get out of the big city
and you get into the real America — real Middle America, and everyone's views are quite a bit different. … I'm
very happy to see a little bit of balance in the state of Mass. I think a lot of Democrats voted for a Republican candidate
to send a message to Washington that what they're doing is completely unacceptable. The shift has been seen as a reaction to health-care reform. What's your stance on that whole situation? I think that we have the best health care in the world. What needs
to get looked at and reformed, if you will, is the insurance companies and the drug companies that all of a sudden, over the
last 10 or 15 years, have all these commercials on TV trying to sell you drugs, trying to find an ailment that you might have.
… And that's the stuff that needs to get put in check. Is there an Aaron Lewis stimulus plan to help the economy? The Aaron Lewis stimulus plan is the government needs to go. The original document that created this
amazing country does not say anywhere that the government is supposed to dictate our lives. The federal government is supposed
to be there merely to look over the state government and make sure they're running correctly. … Taxes we get taken from us would go way down because we wouldn't
need all that money taken from us to run this ridiculous government that isn't even supposed to be there, and it would leave
the people with more money to stimulate the economy. Is
there still a solo album in the works, or do these solo tours fill the need for one? I think what we're going to do is we're going to release a live CD of performances that I've been
doing solo and have three or four new songs packed on the end of it, so we have something to release as singles. …
Then we'll go back and do the final Staind record and then Staind will be contractually unobligated at that point. …
I think then I'll release a solo record — a full-on solo record that has an entire collection of unreleased material. |
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Your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler recently
caught up with Staind singer Aaron Lewis just prior to the golden-throated, multi-platinum-selling
artist's annual solo show at the Mohegan Sun. Per usual, the famous Bay State baritone did not disappoint. He was more than
eager to share his views on everything from popularity versus anonymity to why he prefers hilltowns to Hollywood, and the
semantic choices that can get one ejected from commercial aircraft. Nightcrawler: Aaron, how are you, man? It's been a while and... I can't believe I just said
that. Aaron
Lewis: (laughing) Yeah, you did. ["It's Been A While" also happens to be his band's biggest hit.] Well, you know what? It has been a while. And I remember writing
about Staind going down to see Fred Durst in the beginning, then, wow—Rolling Stone, MTV and so on. Now people
are talking about calling Staind one of the top alt-rock acts of the decade, and you've released a greatest hits disc. Sure
feels like we have stopped chronicling your ascent and are now watching you settle into a throne as a rock elder statesman,
doesn't it? Well, I appreciate that, and rely
on people like you to point that out to me, because really, it's all just been a crazy blur for me. And I live in a bubble
of hotel rooms, busses, studios, and all the while [I'm] trying to be a father and keep a roof over my family's head. I hear that. But in the old days, whereas your contemporaries would
say, "I listen to Staind," you must now have new bands saying, "I grew up on Staind." In fact, they'll
probably start asking you to introduce them at awards shows and such. And no offense, but we'll probably say no to those shows just like we do now. I have zero desire
to walk a red carpet or end up on E! Entertainment News. I live in the sticks in New England for a reason. There
are 1,200 people in my town, and I like it that way. Do
you get hassled a lot on the road, or can you, say, just walk into a mall in Cleveland? It all depends, of course. But for the most part, I do have the luxury of having sold upwards of
15 million records without my face being plastered everywhere, so I can get around. Hey, I even got kicked off an airplane
last week, and I never played the "Do you know who I am?" card. What was that all about? The
long story short is, I was getting hassled over this carry-on bag I have brought on at least 500 flights. They eventually
let us on, and I turned to my manager and said to him, "Why was that lady being such a—" well, feminine hygiene
product. A flight attendant heard that, and next thing you know, she's talking to the captain. This is followed by not one
but two police officers, and I am ushered off the plane, although never charged with anything. So I guess the one thing I
learned from that is that you should never, under any circumstances, say "douche" on an airplane. And all this time we all thought it was "bomb." Stay
tuned for part two of the Aaron interview, in which Lewis talks about when his long-anticipated solo efforts will drop, and
offers back stories behind his biggest hits and more. PART
2 Also, as promised, here is the last installment
of the Aaron Lewis interview, wherein our hero sheds some light on his highly anticipated solo project, the
American dream and some unhealthy practices that
are endangering it. Nightcrawler: Is 2010 when the fabled Aaron Lewis solo projects finally hit the shelves? Aaron Lewis: It is, although, I must
say, everything has really morphed along the way. What you will see now is an amalgamation of the last batch of small room
(The Cabaret) Mohegan Sun live performances and
probably three or four new songs for the CD plus a Sundance-type
music/documentary
DVD. Nightcrawler:
What kind of style and sound should we expect for your solo tunes? Lewis: Well, I think it's pretty obvious, my style. You listen to "Outside," "It's
Been A While"—I bring acoustically written rock songs to the table. From there [with Staind], the guys add their
embellishments to it
and bring it somewhere else. Nightcrawler: Whereas with the solo stuff, it will remain closer to its initial incarnation? Lewis: Actually, not necessarily (laughs).
Sometimes it will just go in different directions. For example, the first single, "Country Boy," has a country flair,
with pedal steel guitars. Nightcrawler:
What's going on with that lyrically? Lewis: Really, it's autobiographical... just about me, growing up in America, and my feelings
along the way. Nightcrawler:
I've noticed you've become increasingly outspoken on what you perceive to be attacks on American values and basic ideology
as it pertains to governing. Lewis:
I have. Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in the system, but the government really seems to be going astray. I'm quite
certain the forefathers never envisioned government as a multi-billion-dollar corporation. And I have had the luxury of seeing
how many systems run throughout the world. So, in the case of health care, for example, trust me—we don't want what
they have. In fact, we have the best health care system in the world, and 85 percent of the people are happy with it. But
we are trying to dismantle it for 15 percent, and if we do... well, then, I guess people will get to experience rushing into
an emergency room with their child and instead of getting treated instantly, have them assessed to see if their child is more
or less sick than the others in the room. Nightcrawler: Certainly no shortage of fodder for you lyrically, either. I always wanted
to ask about your process—do you have notebooks of lyrics ready to go, or tailor to each song? Lewis: I always have to have the music
first. I need to know the terrain, you know? But from there, I mean, the night I did "Outside" on the Family Values
tour, I had been changing the lyrics over and over and couldn't
have told you what I would sing until I got onstage.
For the song "Epiphany," we were literally tracking something else when it all hit me like a freight train. We dumped
out of the other song, and just banged "Epiphany" out almost on the spot... it was all in my head. |
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By Timothy Finn, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Jan.
14--During his most recent visit to Kansas City, Aaron Lewis was the frontman in one of the most commercially successful modern-rock
bands in the music business.
In October, his multiplatinum band, Staind, opened for Creed for a crowd of about
10,000 at the Sprint Center.
On Sunday night, Lewis returns with more modest and quieter intentions and will present
his one-man acoustic show at the Midland theater. You may think it's odd for a guy who leads a loud, heavy-rock band to sit
on a stool, strum a guitar and do the coffeehouse/"Storytellers" thing, but Lewis has been doing it for nearly a
decade. He spoke with The Star this week about the solo/acoustic part of his career and how it fits into his other job.
Q. You've been doing this for eight or nine years now. Why is it important to you?
A. It's something I've
always done. It's what I was doing before Staind. It's something my dad did. For me, it's a way of showcasing songs and the
lyrics in a different setting.
Do you write songs specifically for Staind and for the solo performance or do you
just write a song and decide later where it's going to go?
The way I write songs ... it just kind of becomes evident.
If you think about it, "It's Been a While," "So Far Away," "Everything Changes," "Epiphany"
... those were all songs I wrote on acoustic guitar and then brought to the band. That's what I get when I sit down to write
a song, whether it's for Staind or my solo thing.
What kind of songwriting catches your ear?
I usually
gravitate toward the lyrics, then the melody and go from there. If something grabs me the second time, I'll listen to the
song more intently in its entirety, but usually I focus first on the lyrics and then the melody.
Have any singer/songwriters
or acoustic performers influenced you as a songwriter?
Hmmm. I started writing songs around the time I was in seventh
grade. But the songs I was writing then really didn't correlate to the music I was listening to at the time, which would have
been the first Motley Crue record, the first Skid Row record, probably some Def Leppard, some Metal Church, some Iron Maiden
... Yngwie Malmsteen. I was the kid who wore a pair of torn blue jeans and a concert T-shirt to school pretty much every day.
Is there more pressure on you during these shows, considering you're the only one on stage and all eyes are on you?
You'd think that would be the deal, but really I think there's less pressure because there's no one else on stage
to disappoint if I mess up. I do talk more during the solo shows. There's more interaction with the crowd than during a Staind
show. But I kind of don't take it all real seriously. We're just there to have a good time. I guess I'm not any more or any
less comfortable. It's just a different thing.
Who comes to these shows? Do people who aren't Staind fans come
to hear you?
It seems like there's a bit of an older demographic for the solo shows, people who probably don't
come to Staind shows or who stopped coming because it's too loud for them at this point. But our demographic is surprisingly
diverse. We get everything from 12- and 13-year-olds to 60-year-olds.
Some of those fans must be accustomed to
seeing you in a rowdier environment. Do the crowds at these shows respect the atmosphere?
Oh, yeah. Everybody seems
to be very attentive and very protective. When people start talking it's rare that I have to say anything. Usually the people
around them act like they're about to rip someone's face off if they don't shut up.
What will you be playing at
this show?
Some new songs, stuff that hasn't been recorded so the only way people could have heard them is by listening
on YouTube or something like that. They're songs that are new to live performances because Staind has never played them.
What is the band up to while you do this tour?
They're on break, spending time with their families. We'll
go into the studio in October and November and write the next record. For now, they're on vacation and I'm out working. I
hope to get a solid four-month break over the spring and summer, but you know how that goes in this business.
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Lewis continues to break through Staind's glass window
Aaron Lewis is playing alone again these days. But fans of his pop-metal act, Staind, have long stopped worrying about
the band's impending break-up. They've had plenty of time to get accustomed to this kind of behavior. For nearly a decade,
the lead singer of the fifteen-million-album-selling, Grammy-nominated outfit has made the time to hit the road on his own.
"It's kind of becoming a tradition," Lewis said from a recent tour stop in Reno, NV. "And hopefully,
soon enough, there'll be a record to tour and it'll become even more than a tradition. But I don't think it's ever going to
turn into a full-blown solo project. I think it'll always be in the vein of someone like James Taylor. I just can't see it
becoming a whole other band or anything like that."
Even if his solo career did expand into a regular working
project, it's doubtful that the other members of the Massachusetts quartet would mind. Over the years, Staind has kept to
a very rigorous touring schedule. Lewis' solo stops have given the other members a chance to take a break and spend some much
needed time with their families. But more than that, Lewis says that this has been the plan from the very beginning.
"This goes all the way back," he said, "to a conversation that Fred (Durst) from Limp Bizkit and I had before
we ever went to Los Angeles and signed a record deal. It was always talked about from the word 'go' that I would have a solo
career as well. I consider myself very lucky."
That's putting it mildly. Staind went from playing Tool and
Alice In Chains covers in Northeastern bars to world tours, No. 1 hits, and platinum albums almost overnight. They've managed
to stay successful even as the popularity of hard rock has waxed and waned, while Lewis' solo career has only served to bolster
band camaraderie and popularity. And Lewis has done it all after coming from a family of seriously modest means.
"I grew up in a 50s trailer park," he said. "Every trailer in the place was at least that old. And when we
moved out, we moved into a hunting camp that my dad had bought in the 60s and eventually built into a house. It was on the
side of a mountain and there was nobody anywhere. We were the only ones on a two-and-a-half-mile-long logging road that led
up to it. That was my upbringing."
Recently, Lewis' solo endeavors have also ---- for the first time ever
---- provided an avenue by which the singer can recall those personal memories in a new and literal way. While Lewis says
he always tries to be honest and heartfelt when writing lyrics to the music, his new song 'Country Boy' is a page taken directly
from his life.
"The song's first lines are 'I grew up on an old dirt road / In a town you wouldn't know,'"
he said. "That's a straight-up autobiographical story. And it's not that everything else hasn't been derived from experiences
in my life, but they've been feelings, not a story. That's just this song."
And the solo tours have provided
the singer with plenty of other positive experiences as well.
"The acoustic thing really gives the lyrics
an opportunity to shine," Lewis said. "That's really what's so cool about it for me. It's silent. People actually
yell at those who are talking during the set, so it's very intimate. You can hear a pin drop 99 percent of the time. It's
great."
But Staind fans need not worry. After a few more weeks of solo performances, including a stop at Pechanga
on Friday, the band should be getting back together in early spring.
"Right now, they're taking a very much-deserved
break," he said. "And they needed it. Unfortunately, break time is my opportunity. But hopefully, all of my hard
work will pay off."
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Live Review: Aaron Lewis — The Canyon Club, Agoura
Hills
Aaron Lewis knows a secret.
It's a secret that seems to elude most purveyors of pop culture. It's a
secret that's been passed down by legendary musicians, actors, comedians and (gasp) even politicians. So what is the secret
that the Staind frontman is privy to?
Well, Mr. Lewis can captivate a crowd with nothing more than an acoustic
guitar, a microphone, a stool and a joke or three. There's something undeniably timeless about his solo acoustic shows. Last
night the packed canyon club in Agoura Hills felt like Vegas when the rat pack ran it, the original Woodstock or the moment
Pearl Jam took over. All of the pretense that our culture is chronically used to was dropped in favor of an incredible performance
by rock n' roll's lone gunman—and it was unforgettable.
Lewis walked on stage with a smile and sat right
down with his acoustic. Looking up at the crowd, he simply said, "I figured that this would be a good way to start this,"
and launched into "So Far Away." He preserved the song's pop prowess on the hook, while giving it an organic folk
flavor that whet the crowd's appetite for more. On a poignant and pained rendition of "Please," Lewis allowed fans
to get closer than ever. Each word resounded with tangible emotion, and he delivered feelings of anger and regret with an
honesty that channeled Layne Staley and Johnny Cash equally.
Following the man in black further down the road,
Lewis belted out his new solo track, "Country Boy," with stadium-filling grit and gusto. "Country Boy"
already feels like a classic track. Lewis' trademark vocals show some swagger, as he tells the story of being a "Country
Boy" in the biz. Before a powerful "Everything Changes," he jested, "This song's about being a fucking
idiot." He carried the melody flawlessly and then began interacting with the crowd even more. Lewis laughed, "A
couple of songs ago, I was having a moment." As fans yelled out requests and proclaimed their love for Lewis, he brandished
a massive smile and kept interacting, even singing happy birthday for one lucky attendee.
The night was full of
those moments though. With its finger-picked melody and transcendent harmony, a sensitive "Zoe Jane" captivated
the crowd drawing everyone in further. Then he bared his soul again on "Blow Away," which felt just as heavy as
the distorted and monolithic recording from 14 Shades of Gray.
Lewis's sense of humor shined even more on new solo
track, "Bong Hits for Breakfast." The title pretty much says it all, but to hear him belt out the refrain through
a bluesy delivery is priceless. It's modern outlaw country at its finest, and it shows just how incredibly diverse of a performer
Lewis is. Stripping away everything, "Home" shook the crowd to its very core as Lewis's voice reached heavenly heights.
"Outside" and "It's Been Awhile" gave way to "Intro." Lewis discarded the microphone and encouraged
the crowd to be completely quiet. He sang the song a capella, and kept every audience member transfixed. It's the kind of
moment that can only come courtesy of a true master…
Does everything really need to be 3-D these days? Why
can't anybody write a full record from start to finish? Why are we constantly looking for that quick over-stimulating fix?
What are you expecting to achieve by it? What does it tell future generations? The truth is, we don't need any of that. This
show was the perfect example of real art connecting without all of the bullshit.
Lewis proved something last night
that's beyond important for this generation. John Lennon said it differently, but it means the same thing…Lewis showed
all you need is music….
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Q&A with Aaron Lewis, lead singer of Staind
How long have you been doing this solo acoustic tour?
Oh, about eight years now.
What can fans expect
from the acoustic concert?
A mix of songs they might not have heard yet because they didn’t make it to record.
Songs that I written but haven’t been recorded yet. Also, that handful of songs that I have to play every night, too.
What excites you the most about doing these shows?
I would have to say the scenario of creation that I
have sung to myself over these last 12 years are showcased in this show. It’s gratifying as a lyricist and writer of
these songs that the lyrics, really in this setting, get to stand on their own.
What is the motivation for this
tour?
I don’t really remember. It was kind of a natural progression. It’s me coming around full circle.This
is what I did before I met any of the guys from Staind and before we became a band. I did this for years before that. It is
what I watched my dad do as a kid. I really didn’t even think twice about it.
Is it just you and a guitar
or are you backed by a band?
As of right now it’s just me and the guitar. I would have to assume as the solo
project happens and a solo record gets put out, depending on what the recording ends up being just me and an accompaniment
or if it is just me.
During the acoustic tour, do you do covers or all your own material?
On this tour,
I have been doing all new material. In the past, I haven’t even made a set list. I am making a set list this tour. Over
the years, casinos have caught on. They’ve figured out that I play longer than an hour and a half. They have really,
kind of, put it down in stone, kind of, how long they want me to play. In order to keep that hour and a half, I have to put
together a set list. The set list has helped tremendously with the time. Though I do try to put together a different set list
every time.
Do your Staind bandmates contribute to the tour in any way?
No, their contribution is that
they are home with their feet up and their Lazy Boy kicked back watching a football game probably.
How has the
acoustic tour changed over the years?
It really, really hasn’t changed. It hasn’t had to change. I
haven’t really had to play not such a blanketed tour. It has always been spot shows, here and there. The key thing that
has changed is that it is different every night. So it changes every single day. But it’s been the same in the sense
that it has been me and a guitar.
How is it different being on stage during the acoustic tour as compared to a
Staind tour?
You know in the Staind project, I have always felt that less is more as far as saying anything in
the microphone. Being or wanting to be center of attention, it’s not me, it’s not my thing. So when you go to
a Staind show you get music. I don’t have much to say. I feel like I have said it all with the music that we are playing.
With the solo show, it is such an intimate setting that there is nobody else there but me playing by myself. I really just
have to be just me. I have to talk to people, crack jokes, and it’s more of a “storytellers” kind of scenario.
There is a lot of interaction. In that sense it is very much a polar opposite.
How much writing do you do while
on tour?
Writing usually happens by accident. It is a rarity that, until we are in the studio, that I actually
sit down and write something. Usually I just have to pick up a guitar that I haven’t picked up in awhile. I have some
very magical guitars that tend to, if I put them away, then I take them out every once in a while and play them, every single
time that I have played them I’ve written a song.
Any plans to release a solo album to coincide with the
solo tour?
We are trying to make that work. I think me and the record label have finally come up with a decent
agreement and I think what we are going to try to do is put out a live DVD/CD/documentary-style project. A documentary project
with some new songs that I have written and I have been playing for five or six dates. It was really kind of the only agreement
that me and the record label could come up until the final Staind record is done and then we are finished with that contract.
As a father, how important is your family in your life?
My family is everything. I’ve been out here
more often than I should to make sure that they are provided for. That they don’t ever have to worry about what, unfortunately,
so many people are worried about.
Any advice for us dads who are still getting the hang of being a father?
You know when you have kids it’s not about you anymore. It’s not about you and your wife anymore. It’s
about the kids. Realizing that they are everything.
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