Clint Lowery of SEVENDUST

FoundryMusicHammer sat down with Clint Lowery, guitarist of SEVENDUST at a recent show in Asbury Park, NJ. Thr Questions aren't as goofy as 13 Questions might be, but it's a kick ass interview nontheless.

FoundryMusicHammer: Will guest musicians be a key on every Sevendust record?
Clint Lowery: I don't know? I mean its one of those things that we play by ear. If we find there is a track and someone we'd like to work with. If we write a song that will fit a certain style of someone. Then we'll try to pull them in. It's not set in stone by any means.

FMH: When you guys write a song, Do you guys sit there and it turn into an emotional jam or a religious experience? CL: No!

FMH: When it hits you [the listener], you just feel this vibe.
CL: Right! We always start off with the basic skeleton of a song. John and me would write the basic music and then get together as a band. And that is when that kind of emotional thing comes in there. Cause when you start writing lyrics and writing the melodies and all that other stuff, so that when as a band collectively it all pulls together. That's when it gives you the chills and stuff like that.

FMH: The original question was how do you approach your writing was really what I was getting at?
CL: We do it like that. John, myself and then the rest of the band, we mould it from there.

FMH: What does everybody listen to? What is in your record collection?
CL: Oh man! The new System (of A Down) is jamming out a lot lately. We listen to so much different stuff. Everybody likes different things. Lajon listens to a lot lighter stuff like Stevie Wonder and all that stuff. Pre-game stuff, heavy stuff and some hip-hop we listen to. Just all around it is five different guys and five different tastes in music. We pretty much like the same things and a lot of the new bands coming out.

FMH: Any older hard-core or really heavy stuff more underground?
CL: Nah! We definitely respect hard-core but that's something we don't really listen to that much.

FMH: Did you find a melding of what you were shooting for on the first two records?
CL: Yeah, just trial by error from the first two records. We just figured out what we were good at and our niche and writing together that's a natural process. The more you write, the more you utilizes the tools in the studio and it the more you understand the whole process.

FMH: The two guys that played keyboards on this record, are they part of the band on this tour?
CL: No

FMH: Does anybody tour with you?
CL: No. Those are just additives. And icing. Justin Walden was involved in that and the guy involved in the strings. They just came in and laid it on top of it.

At this point, Brett Scallions, the lead singer for FUEL, pops his head in the room

FMH: On the DVD you guys said you toured for how many days?
CL: It was ridiculous! Like 420 shows; altogether it was 800 shows. That we've done together.

FMH: And you guys said you were gonna try to take little breaks?
CL: They say we are taking breaks, I don't really see those breaks.

FMH: Does the album cover artwork run in with any lyrics or titles?
CL: Yes, basically the kid is our band and everything around it obviously with the vultures behind it. Inside the CD you have a picture of some guy trying to coax the kid into something. It was basically about someone who has a lot of obstacles ahead of them and we were pretty much the kid (the kid on the new album cover) and pissed off - hence Animosity. The name comes in there. At this point we don't feel that way that much anymore but we got a chance to vent. You reach a point and level off.

FMH: How does it feel to be in the pages of those glossy magazines? Kerrang, Modern Drummer, etc?
CL: It's awesome! We still trip out on that stuff and are just blessed to be here. At the same time we really fought for those kinds of ads and covers. We have been doing it for so long. It’s a cool payoff.

FMH: Any known bands?
CL: I used to play with my brother but nothing signed or CD's.

FMH: How did you start playing?
CL: My Mom and my Dad. And everyone in my family just played music. So…It was kind of understood.

FMH: Why did you start playing? Going out on the road. Fame and fortune? Some of the perks are cool, hahaha.
CL: It started with me when I first saw my first arena show. I think it was Krokus or something like that?

FMH: Really?
CL: The first metal show I've seen in an arena. Next to the redneck fair shows...I went to see that and I saw the lights went out and the lighters went up for that time it was really cool to do. It just affected me. And that just what I wanted to do. When all the people started screaming. Just seeing the world and touring, it definitely has a lot of good things to it. Many positives at that show - for sure.

FMH: How do you guys get that thud in your sound? Nobody sounds like that. He laughs You might say like Pantera? He agrees.
CL: I was gonna say that. They have the biggest thud of them all. I think it’s the lower tuning, the way we mix our music and everything. I think it’s a part of that. And hitting at the same time makes it tight and more active.

FMH: It's been a stable line-up. I'm sure that helps it and all, right?
CL: Yeah!

FMH: Good to see the same guys. Will the triple vocals remain?
CL: Yes that is definitely like a little vocal arsenal we have. With all the vocal styles we have. Morgan's more aggressive. I sing and do melodics with Lajon and I don't sound like him. It's cool to blend different sounding vocals in there. Not hearing the same vocals over and over again. It isn't bad having a vocalist like Lajon. It's kinda cool to change it around a little bit, different perspectives.

FMH: Since 9-11 has "Angel's Son" taken on any new meaning besides the tribute to Lynn Straight?

CL: Yeah! That's what Lajon says. Every night we play the song we dedicate it to that. The song is about loss. Its about losing somebody you love. In our case it was Lynn Straight. Anyone can associate to that. It all jut resurfaced when that happened.

FMH: I saw that MTV started playing the video all the sudden. Are they giving you any respect?
CL: Yeah, that kinda helped but you don't wanna capitalize on that. It did kinda give us a positive angle with MTV. Its nice they played it. It shows a lot of people coming together. I was definitely happy that all those people came to do that.

FMH: Was that all California bands?
CL: Mostly people from there. The Kittie girls, Coal Chamber and anyone that could be there that was Lynn's friend.

FMH: Do you think there is more anger on this album?
CL: I think lyrically there's a lot of Animosity. It's about relationships that go sour. There's not a lot of positive uplifting, motivating, or gotta do something with your life, lyrics. We did have issues on this record.

FMH: Did some of it come based around the song "Bitch"? That kind of feel? That kind of vibe?
CL: Yeah! A lot of the times we would just write from our personal experiences and keep it general. To where people can put their own situation to the lyrics. I used to love looking at lyrics and saying that this was personally written for me. We kinda keep a little mystery. People could relate to it a little more being more specific about a certain person that kinda takes away from that little magic.

FMH: How was it doing Leno, Conan and even meeting Jack Black?
CL: Jack Black was awesome! My favorite. The Tenacious D record; that's unreal! I love that guy man. Those shows were weird. Lighter music, "Angel's Son" fit those two TV shows. Playing heavier stuff on those shows? They have a harder time mixing those kinds of things and it doesn't ever come out the way you want to. The last two experiences we had went good.

FMH: The album was ready to come out on October 30th. Why was it pushed up two weeks later? Because of the tragedy?
CL: No. I'm not saying that that had nothing totally to do with it. It was just more or less getting the artwork together, mixing everything. The basic things that happen to bands and you have to push it back. We didn't want to release it too early. We wanted to do a few new re-mixes and add on a few things. We recorded to the deadline. We didn't want to piss anybody off saying it is coming out now and then wait a minute. It's coming out next year. It was coming close to coming out in 2002.

FMH: Would you have toured before it?
CL: Yeah! We went right out on tour and they said push it back. We were like oh man! We aren't gonna tour for a year before our album comes out. We would have had to.

FMH: What are your favorite songs on the album?
CL: "Dead Set", "Beautiful", "Crucified", "T.O.A.B." is a cool live song.

FMH: The melodies in "Crucified" rule. Anything you want to say to the East Coast or like hey mom?
CL: Hey Mom, NY is the best period. Always has been and always will be.

To check out SEVENDUST's latest disc, Animosity, See HOTPICKS, and to check out their website, go to SEVENDUST.com
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