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Interview with Chris of American Head Charge
HOB - Las Vegas - May 1, 2005
Phil: Sitting backstage here with American Head Charge, Chris Emery, the drummer. Thanks for taking the time out with Closed Coffin. I'm very sorry about the death of Bryan, obviously, how are you guys handling it? How's it goin'?
Chris: Thank you. Well you know, grief is a funny thing in life, we all at some point have to learn how to grieve. Sometimes it's a little bit easier, I think, to handle than other times. It was just so sudden and out of the blue and tragic that, it definitely has not been easy for us, for sure. It's been a lot of hugs and a lot of tears and a lot of reaching out to people, who are reaching out to us. Reaching back for people who are reaching out to us, there to support and comfort and be there. 'Cause we're all going through it, and the people who are going through it too, you come together and talk about it. Think about all the good things, the memories, all the good memories we have of him. Really, just try to be together and celebrate his life, celebrate Bryans legacy in that way too. It helps, because there's always those times too! It's sorrow, you know there's a lot of pain, there's a lot of sorrow and a lot of tears we shed. But, when we come together, those tears just turn into hope. There can always be something good taken out of this. Personally, for me, it gives me strength to want to go and do this. I feel that it is something that was, I'm apart of something that was very special in Bryans life. I know there was more to Bryan than just being a musician in a band. He was loved by his family and he loved his family a great deal, he was very close to them. I feel honored to have known him and we all feel that way, to have worked with him and got very close to him, we were like family! He's been around, even before he was in the band we've known him really well! He lived in, he was room mates with one of the guys in the band in Minneapolis, he teched for us for awhile, we knew him before that when he played guitar in another band called Black Flood Diesel. There's just a history there and it's just a very sad tragic thing. I wanted to state too, I know there's been a lot of stuff in the news, in the paper, on MTV...rumors going around, they're all convinced that it's drug related. But, I just want people to know that it may not be wise to believe everything you hear and see on TV. Because there's more to the story than that. I mean there was speculation that they found pills on him, or he drank a lot that night...I know for a fact that he didn't drink a lot, that night. About a month before he died he had strep throat, and it went away. But then a few weeks later, it came back and it came back even stronger. He had black strep throat. Which is like Rheumatic Fever or Scarlet Fever and when a sickness is that intense, it's hard on your heart! Not a lot of people know this but Bryan had a heart murmur, he had a heart condition, then you throw some sickness like that on him. I know he was taking a few things for it, but I don't think he was taking it in levels that were lethal. I think he was just a very sick boy. I remember the last time I saw him awake, he looked as white as a sheet. He was stone sober, he just looked awful! I was concerned, to the point where I almost was vocal, and like, dude I think you should go to the hospital and be in the hospital. Like get on IV, get some vitamins in you, or something, some liquids, IV, you know all that stuff. When they put you in there, they put you on all kinds of stuff, and they monitor you, they watch you! But, just for the record, I don't think it was like...I mean there was all kinds of rumors going around, and I don't really, I honestly don't think it was that!
Phil: So you guys were back on tour rather quickly! Was it a decision you made right away? I know there was a couple weeks off there.
Chris: It took a couple of days, for us to make that decision. I mean we talked about it, that night, but we put it on the shelf because the first couple of days was just so, ahhhh...
Phil: Devastated!
Chris: Yea, and still! There are days...like last night, was our first gig back, in Albuquerque. After the show, while Life of Agony was playing, I was sitting on a case outside, while they were loading in and out, just crying. You know, just still feeling that! And it's alright, it's okay to welcome those feelings, because it's just a process, you don't have to push that stuff away. Chris from Bloodsimple came up to me and gave me a hug and he talked to me a little bit. Hell Matt from Mudvayne came up and gave me a hug and said some really kind words. It just made me feel, instantly better! It was a decision to be made, and after a couple of days, it was like...we really want to do this, so let's think about what our options are! Instantly we thought of Benji from Black Flood Diesel, to fill in for a little while. No knows, it hasn't even been talked about it being a permanent thing, but he's definitely here to help out. You know he's in his own band, he's got other things that he's doing, with the other band and stuff. I mean it wasn't a very hard decision, because we all agreed that Bryan was such a, he played such a part in writing the songs on The Feeding. He loved Mudvayne, he loved being on this tour, we wanted to come back out and really do and keep being a part of what he loved so much. I think it's helped, but it's hard. Last night I played and I cried on stage. We had some technical difficulties and we only got to play 3 songs but it was a hell of a 3 songs, I'll tell you what!
Phil: That was your first night back, right!?
Chris: Yea, last night! It was tough, but I know it would be harder, for me personally, I can only speak for myself...I think it would be harder going through this at home sitting on the couch. Even if your going out, getting phone calls, making phone calls, it's still hard.
Phil: Not like now, the tour is going on still and this and that....
Chris: Yea, I mean that's a lot of down time to be sitting and thinking about stuff. So, I'd think it would be harder if were weren't out here busy. Work, it's kind of a distraction but at the same time, it's not, because you're on stage and your not distracted by the fact that you're on stage and he's not on stage. The reality is, that he is! Because he's in the hearts and in the minds of not only the people in the band, but the people in the crowd and the people watching from the side of the stage! You can almost feel Bryans presence there. He's still, in that sense, very much alive, in our hearts. That's a good thing! I think it all ties in to that, together we can have hope, hurt sorrow and hope. Make something good out of something that happened that was bad.
Phil: Now you guys had an interview yesterday with KNAC, I'm not sure, but I believe it was. It said something about, as they were telling the story the lights flickered as they were talking about Bryan.
Chris: Yea, and the battery was dead in the guitar, that we had technical difficulties, at first. It was Bryans guitar, the tech didn't change the battery, and maybe you can say it was just coincidence, he didn't change the battery. But it's like, now the guitar's not working. You know?
Phil: You want to know what's even weirder! I was just doing an interview with Life of Agony, and as soon as I asked a question about that...their lights in their bus flickered. I swear to God dude!
Chris: Yea, it's happened more than once! That's why I think he's here! Yea, he's not here in the flesh but energy changes forms! I think he's everywhere, he's like in the air, his spirit is around.
Phil: Yea, I'm not kidding! So you got Benji, and you said you recruited him from, he was in a band that Bryan was previously in, is that how you guys...
Chris: Yea, Bryan was in the band Black Flood Diesel, and Bryans first gig was shooting the video, just so you know, when we got back from touring with Slipknot in Japan. Wayne just left the band, and the first phone call he got was, hey do you want to shoot a music video and be in the band? He was all over it! He knew most of the songs anyway and he's a real quick learner, so he joined right away.
Phil: Like you said he may not be permanent because he's got his other gig going! Will you be having any auditions? Or have you even thought about what you're going to do in that avenue?
Chris: Yea, we've tossed things around. I think for now, we'll just say, we're looking at our options.
Phil: Okay. So, we haven't heard from you guys in about 3 years since you've last toured. What happened in between then?
Chris: The lead singer, Cameron, he did some work with The Four Project, who is like Paul from Slipknot and some of the guys in Black Flood and another drummer, Dane, from a band call Stasia. Chad, our bass player was playing guitar on that. They put a lot of time and effort into that and they definitely had our blessing. We started, during all that time off, we started demoing and stuff, it was a long and slow process. A lot of that stuff was going on, like I said before and that took some time. When we were finally getting together, working on stuff, we made a lot of demo recordings in that time, and switched labels. So, I mean...then we recorded the new record so there was a lot happening in that time off. Seems like a long time, but I think it was enough time. I think it was enough time to put together the kind of record, the kind of recording that we wanted to do. The Feeding is less of a studio recording, it's less of a, okay we're in the studio and we have time and money to experiment and do all sorts of different things, in the studio. This is more of a, I think what mostly happens in the industry is you do pre-production. You figure out what it is in pre-production you want to record, and then you go in the studio and you record it that way. Now there was time, to experiment, there was time to be creative in the studio. But, it was limited, but that's okay, because I think just that time that we had to do that, we used. I think we really made the most of it.
Phil: The new album is, The Feeding, it came out February 15th. How long did it take to record when you finally got all the ideas ready for the actual recording?
Chris: Not including pre-production time, just being in the studio....it was like, ahhh....I'd say, gosh I don't know an exact number, but I'd say it's close to a month.
Phil: Oh that's good! Shit, that's fast! A studio situation, generally...
Chris: It was at Westlake off of Santa Monica Blvd, in Hollywood.
Phil: Nice place down there! So, you left Rick Rubin's label and you're now with Nitrus Records? How's that going with them?
Chris: It's going alright, it's going alright! It's funny because you know it's...some of these questions, it's hard to be candid. 'Cause I could tell you that man, you know, maybe it's the same with all record labels. Sometimes, you want to pull your hair out, you think, man do they really got our backs? You just question that! Then other times, of course things happen that prove that otherwise. But yea, they really do have everyone's best interest at heart. You know, there's ups and downs. It's all about communicating and everybody just being on the same team. I think, really we do our best to work together. We're all human, man, everybody in our band, we have our faults and their no exception. Whether you're in a band or you're in a label, or you're on a local union crew anywhere you work and stay, there's gonna be times where it takes work. I mean it's a smaller label and they to do smart business, man. Sometimes it just comes down to, hey this is what we think we need...and they're like yea, we believe you, but this is what we got.
Phil: And a lot of times its all about the units that are being sold. Which can determine how much support.
Chris: Yea, that's part of it too. We make money by selling records and the label makes money by selling records and...yea, the better the numbers, the more we can get for either marketing or touring. Yea, that's definitely a big portion of it!
Phil: These fine leather couches, I mean come on! *laughs* So, I like the Loyalty video! It's great, it kicks ass!
Chris: Mike Sloat. He did a couple of Machinehead videos.
Phil: Oh did he? He was the producer on that?
Chris: Great guy! Yea!
Phil: Where was that shot?
Chris: I'm not sure all of his, all the hats that he wears. I'm sure the guy edits really well too, he has a lot to do with that. It was shot in an abandoned, old abandoned army hospital, outside of I believe it was, Oakland, CA. Great location!
Phil: Yea, that's what I was thinking. Some sort of an old psychiatric ward. It was pretty cool! So, what are the future plans for American Head Charge?
Chris: Keep asking the label for money to tour! I mean, you can do tours, I'd like to do a headlining tour. Get a, you tend to make more money doing headlining shows. But, when you have a chance to go out and tour with Mudvayne, and they say we'll give you X amount of dollars. You take it! then you go, hey can we get some money for gas, for everybody, for everyone's paycheck. You just hope that they have it to give, because it's such a great opportunity. Just like I said before, when everyone is on the same page. I'm pretty sure they already realize, because they're professionals in this, everybody in that label has been in business long enough to know that this is an opportunity you just don't pass on. They've proved that, we're on the tour! They've proved that they're willing to back us, and that's great! More to come! Download festival in the UK, and I believe, it's very possible...I don't know if it's confirmed, so maybe I shouldn't even mention it, but....I'm just letting it all hang out here. We're trying to do Europe dates with Mudvayne. But then again, of course, it depends upon being able to afford it. The guys in Mudvayne are great, and from what I've been told, they want us to be along for the ride. We can do it, we just got to get the funds together.
Phil: Visa's and what not. Right, that's where Nitrus can step in and pick up a...
Chris: Also too, we gotta learn how to help ourselves. We got to learn how to make it happen! Play great shows, and turn people on to us! Make them want to go out there and support us and get the CD! Thinking about more things we can do at the shows. So, we got to help ourselves too. Can't just expect everyone to do it for us.
Phil: Absolutely! Right, but it sure helps when they're there. Sometimes you need that helping hand to kind of give you the push along!
Chris: Yea, yea! But you know, like I said, it's not like a huge, it's not like Warner Brothers or whatever, where you say, yea we need this much money to go touring. They'd be like yea, ching ching, and be like just throwing it out there! You gotta be smart and that's a good thing. I think the label is smart in that sense. You want to stick around long enough, you don't want to just go bail ya out. They're playing it smart and that's good, that's good.
Phil: Well, I'd like to thank you for taking the time out with closedcoffin.com. Any words for the fans out there, that you'd like to say?
Chris: Well, first of all, thank you! We love you, keep coming out and throwing down with us, man! That's, for us, we're starting to get a little radio love, but for us it's about playing live shows and connecting to the fans! That's what keeps us alive, if it wasn't for the fans, I know you've heard this before, it kind of like lip service, but it's the truth! I mean if it wasn't for them coming down to the shows and helping us all they can...we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be doing this. It was the fans that threw down for us in Minneapolis that helped Rick Rubin decide, in the beginning of that phase of our career, that we're worthy to invest more time and creative effort. Somebody he'd want to collaborate, Rick doesn't just produce bands he doesn't like. He's the kind of guy that likes to like it and be turned on by it to want to work with them. Then when you have a, he seen a video tape of us playing a hometown show in Minneapolis. It helps to convince that, when you see so many fans going apeshit for us. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here. So thank you!
Phil: Thanks a lot dude! I appreciate it and we'll be talking to you soon!
Chris: Yea!
RIP
For more information on American Head Charge visit them online at...
http://headcharge.com
or at their label...