MICK: Welcome back to the Detroit area. How’s the tour going for you
guys so far?
CHRIS: Great! It’s going very well. To have the opportunity
to take out the bands we picked and brought out with us and stand on the side of
the stage very night and check them out has been really good.
MICK: You guys handpicked the bands on this bill?
CHRIS: Yes. From the very beginning we decided that this is
something that we want to do. Went through a list of bands that were available
at that point and luckily half the bands we knew right in the beginning that
those were the bands that we really wanted and were available.
MICK: You guys picked Battlecross, a local Michigan band, that’s pretty cool.
CHRIS: Love those guys! I’ve been hanging out with them
quite a bit on this tour. As a bass player, watching don up there, the new dude
from Mudvayne, he’s really filling out that spot, he’s really good.
MICK: Your album hit #7 on Billboard along with a great
response with the suicide prevention video/program you did. How do you feel
about that?
CHRIS: That was something that really touched home with me.
When we were talking about doing it, the rest of the guys didn’t really know,
but I had a cousin about four years ago that decided to end his life. He was
going through some stuff in his life, like you do as a teenager, and
unfortunately we weren’t able to get to him in time. We’re kind of hoping that
this would inspire other people to know that there are other options out there
and if could say anything to those kids its that it always gets better.
MICK: When you guys get done with this tour will you be headed
straight back to the studio again?
CHRIS: We actually brought a mobile recording studio with us
on the road so we’re kind of tossing ideas of each other as we go through this
tour. The idea is going in to it we want to have as many songs available to
pick from, the best choice cuts, just a great pool of music to pick from. A lot
of that has to do with getting it in to Ivan’s hands and seeing what works for
him. We can write music all day but unless Ivan gets in and feels its something
he can work with, it’s the icing on the cake and brings out the best.
MICK: You guys went overseas to play for our military folks
on a USO tour. How was that for you?
CHRIS: We just got back in March where we had gone over to Kuwait.
It’s a very different crowd over there. Like here in Michigan today, a lot of metal heads, a lot
of beer drinkers out in the crowd, its more of a party vibe. Over there, when you
get there, everyone is completely appreciative that you are there. It’s a
completely different level, regardless of what they’ve got going on in the
field, thousands of miles away from home, when they get bands coming over there
playing for them it gives them that one little chance amongst all the other
shit going on to get in and actually feel at home, even if only just for that
little bit, it was really, really fun. Guys with machine guns strapped to their
hips in the mosh pits were a sight to see!
MICK: It’s amazing how rock and metal can transcend boundaries.
A metal band from Iraq called Acrassicauda came here to Michigan earlier this
year and play a show, along with a documentary about the struggles they had to
deal with, not just trying to play, but worrying about retribution for playing
this sort of music. Did you run in to any similar bands over there?
CHRIS: I was reading about a black metal band fronted by a
chick singer over there, who was writing about how she would be stoned and
killed for the material she was singing about. Its amazing being here in the
states to have the freedom to be able to write and sing about what you want.
MICK: How do you guys like playing around the Detroit area? Have the
crowds been digging you?
CHRIS: We’ve played a few areas around here before. We
always do really well with the crowds out here. This is one of the areas that
picked up on FFDP early on and gave us a ton of support from the beginning. We
always love to come back here. Very appreciative, very rabid crowds, always out
there singing along, it’s a good vibe. I really love playing the center of the
country because you know New York City, L.A., great crowds, but it’s a different vibe compared to
when you get out to the middle of America.
MICK: Perhaps due to this area being more hardworking, blue
collar types that have been affected by the economic crisis and want to just
let loose and enjoy a great rock show.
CHRIS: That’s another thing right there. Going in to this we
realize that the economy is shit right now and to be pulling the amount of
people that we’re pulling in here, it shows us that we’ve touched a nerve
somewhere with people who love what we’re doing and are willing to spend that
money to come out and check us out. Not a day goes by where I’m not on stage
thanking everybody for coming out. People could be out going to any of the
summer shows and they’re coming out and checking us out. Detroit
is a rocking city going way back, Detroit
Rock City
as KISS said.
MICK: So who inspired you as a bassist played to pick up and
play?
CHRIS: Speaking of KISS, I was watching a show called “The
Electric Company” and they were doing a show on Gene Simmons and KISS, the
lights, all that. I was probably five maybe at that point. As soon as I saw
that, I said “Oh my God, that is what I want to do!” Gene Simmons and Cliff
Burton were major influences on me. Ian Hill from Judas Priest was a great
influence on me too, I really like his style.
MICK: What do you guys do for fun in your downtime in
between cities?
CHRIS: Today actually we’ve got a friend named Chris Robinson
from Canada
who runs a couple martial arts gyms up there for Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu. I’m
big in to the former while Zoltan is in to Jiu Jitsu. Chris brought down some
pads and gloves and we sat out in the park behind here and knocked out a good
45 minute workout. Doing that, Jeremy and I will also work out about 7 or 8
o’clock at night right before the show, just to get a quick little muscle warm-up.
I spend a lot of time on Netflix these days, catching up on the series of
“Weeds”. Also a lot of reading, a lot of writing music, you gotta stay busy out
here with a lot of different projects.
MICK: What do you like to read? Anything that you really
like which inspires you?
CHRIS: Oddly enough, I’ve been reading a lot of music
biographies. I’m on Duff McKagen’s book right now. I’ve had a chance to meet
him on a couple festival dates that we did and I’m really a fan of the Guns ‘n
Roses stuff. I also try to find and read books I normally wouldn’t read to
expand my horizons, take advantage of learning opportunities to broaden my
mind. You’ve got a lot of downtime out here, so educate yourself, write your
music, and stay fit. Rob Zombie was talking to me one time when I first joined
the band and said, “I’m going to give you a piece of advice. It’s not the hour
on stage you’re getting paid for, it’s the other 23 hours that you’ve got to
find stuff to do to get paid for.” It can get really long and tedious out there
so you gotta utilize your down time out here and make the most of it.
MICK: You all hang out with the other bands after the shows?
What do you all do?
CHRIS: Oh yeah, we have some great times. We bust out some
grills, have cooking competitions to see who can make the best burger and so
on.
MICK: I saw Corey Pierce from God Forbid has a burger that
got some airplay on iFood.tv recently.
CHRIS: Yes, Corey is the burger champion right now. But I’m
hoping this upcoming week I’m busting out the kale burgers and take a run at
him. I like Corey’s burgers but Corey, I’m coming after you!
MICK: Thanks for you time today. Any parting words for the
fans?
CHRIS: Again, thank you all so much for coming out in these economic times. You really don’t know what to expect coming out to these tours and we put everything we possibly could in to this tour. When you come out and see the light show we’ve brought out with us, it’s by far the biggest production we’ve ever done yet.
CHRIS: Again, thank you all so much for coming out in these economic times. You really don’t know what to expect coming out to these tours and we put everything we possibly could in to this tour. When you come out and see the light show we’ve brought out with us, it’s by far the biggest production we’ve ever done yet.
MICK: Thanks Chris, we appreciate you being here too.
CHRIS: Thank you so much, I really appreciate it too. 
