Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Sevendust

Is there a harder working band than Sevendust? Including the CD/DVD combo Retrospective 2, their latest disc, Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow, is their third release in the last 13 months. Reveling in the freedom and creativity coming from the formation of their own record label, they have followed the ambitious, aggressive Alpha (2007) with an album that ranges from pummeling (“Inside”) to soft and soothing (“The Past,” featuring Chris Daughtry) to experimental (“Hope,” featuring Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti). This latest chapter covers all facets of the band, building on everything that has come before. Vocalist Lajon Witherspoon called in to talk with Live-Metal.net’s Greg Maki about the new album, the spring tour with Saliva and more. [NOTE: Two days after this interview, the band announced the return of guitarist Clint Lowery and departure of Sonny Mayo.]

Lajon Witherspoon: Hey, how are you, man?

Thank you for calling, man.

Sure. I know you guys just recently got back from Australia, playing some shows with Ozzy there.

Man, we just got back a day and a half ago. [laughs]

It was incredible. I’m still a little loopy. The organization within itself is just—man, he’s got Zakk Wylde. What you talking about? We had so much fun we didn’t even want to come home.

It’s been a little while, but you’ve played some shows with [Ozzy] before, back on Ozzfest years ago, right?

Yeah, back in the day. And so it was really nice to be out there, and then to be with just us and Ozzy, it was just an incredible energy. They asked us to do some more dates with them and said that it was unfortunate that we hadn’t done the whole year with ‘em, which would’ve been incredible with us. Just to see all those guys every night and hang out was real fun. We hope to do it again.

I don’t know. It was like the same time when I saw him again. Exciting. You know, he’s a legend and I think he’s always been able to keep that magical energy around him wherever he goes. You know what? When I ran into him in the airport, it was like seeing him all for the first time again. I’m like, “Oh my god! Hey, how ya doing?” And the big hug and then Sharon right behind him. You gotta be kidding me. We’re walking and all of a sudden we go past a bar and there’s Zakk. Gol-ly! And we’re hanging out. Oh, man. It was nothing but fun, man. It was good times.

Cool. Well, the reason we’re talking is the new album, Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow. I’m a longtime Sevendust fan and, for me, the new album is right up there with Animosity as my favorite, I think.

Oh, wow. Thanks, man. We had a great time doing this one and it was really fun and laid back.

Coming after Alpha, which was really sort of focused in its direction and kind of aggressive and heavy, when you started working on this one was it like a mission to make it more diverse?

No, I think it’s just in us now. Right now we’re not pigeonholed. No one’s telling us, “Hey, you gotta sound like that.” I think what’s coming out of Sevendust is just what’s in us. We don’t feel forced to do anything. We’re letting the music flow and that’s how we like it, man. It’s an incredible point to be at finally in our career, to be able to make decisions and say yes or no to this or that. It’s really cool.

The last album just came out only a year ago. It’s pretty amazing to have that quick a turnaround when bands take two or three years or more sometimes. Is there some reason why you decided to do a new one so quick?

Let me tell you exactly the reason behind that. Now that we have 7Bros. Records, we’re able to put out albums. Honestly, instead of waiting those two years, if you’ve got the music and it’s in you, man, go ahead and get it out there. And that’s what we’re able to do and hopefully this will catch on. I feel like we’re not getting any younger. You never know how long this industry’s gonna accept you, you know?

This is the first time in a few albums where you weren’t going to a new label or starting a label. What else has been the effect of that?

Oh, man, definitely we were able to focus more on the music. There’s always business, but a lot of times—I think at the beginning of our career we were always just focused on the music and we weren’t businessmen and it took us a while to become businessmen. With that being said, definitely going into this with the label, with Warner Music being behind us and backing us and us having the reins, it was great. It’s not a lot of stress. There’s not a lot of drama that we’re dealing with.

Let’s talk a little bit about the title of the album. “Hope” and “Sorrow” obviously are two songs on it, but I assume there’s a little more to it than that.

Within our careers and our lives and our situation as grown men together, we’ve all gone through sorrow. But I think at the end of the day and at the light at the end of the tunnel, there’s always hope. And God knows that’s the story of this band’s life. I think that’s kind of the meaning behind that. It kind of fulfills that.

A connection to Animosity is that this first album since that one that you’ve had some guest musicians.

I couldn’t wait to do that again, man!

The two title tracks have the Alter Bridge guys. How did that all come about? I guess you’ve known those guys for a long time.

Known ‘em forever, man, and I think definitely wouldn’t kind of still be doing a lot of the things that we’re doing if it wasn’t for people like Mark Tremonti and those guys from Creed. So it goes way, way back and it just led up to now. Them having Alter Bridge, which is still an incredible band, and Myles [Kennedy], the new singer, which—oh, man, he’s great. We just love ‘em and we’ve always stayed friends. So that was an easy process.

I’m sure you’re getting a lot of questions about the other guest you have on it.

Daughtry, yes. Daughtry’s great. He was a fan of the band for many years. Finally got to meet him and we just started a relationship, man. He actually got on stage with us in Orlando, Florida, for the big, big Earthday Birthday and asked if he could do “Denial” and I was like, “Heck, yeah, man.” He knew the song and just from then on, had a relationship. He’s a cool guy and I can’t hate that avenue that he took from American Idol because the kid is an incredible singer. We just wish him the best. It was incredible to work with him. He’s a great singer and it was fun. It was no worries, you know?

One of the things that I think is pretty cool about the album are the intros and transitions between the songs. How did that come about?

We had [assistant engineer] Travis [Daniels] in the studio come up with a lot of the loop ideas and the piano and the beautiful interludes. That’s something that we always like to do, just a continuous flow of music. That’s always something I like to have when you listen to a CD.

The last three albums now, [guitarist] John [Connolly] and [drummer] Morgan [Rose] have co-produced them. What is it like working with them in that role?

Well, I don’t even notice. They’re not different like a producer. They just stay in the studio longer than anybody else. [laughs] As a band, we all produce the albums. It’s definitely cool to have those guys stay back and hold the fort down and put their two cents in. So it’s cool. I don’t look at them as this guy coming in and saying, “Well, it’s gotta be this way” because it’s never been that way with us. It’s cool to keep it in the house.

We all write together and I always feel it would be foolish to only have it come from one person’s point of view when you know you have all these grown men in the band that have been together for 11 years. So the writing process is we all have ideas and we all come together. If it’s working, it works. But if it’s not, then it’s not. Everyone has a big part in writing because I feel it’s therapy for each of us and we all go through different situations and what better way to explain them or get our energy out there than through song and being in this band, we’re in a band together. So that’s how we do it.

Yes. It’s getting ready to happen, actually. We’ll be doing a video for “Prodigal Son,” I believe. It’s still being talked about and after that we’ll be going out with our friends Saliva in the States, which is incredible, and rolling out on the April 1 release. We’re just ready to get back into it, man, and work. I’ve got a new baby girl. She will be here May 23. Everything is right.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

We’ve done plenty of shows with ‘em. We love those guys. You got two bands from the South. That ain’t nothing but country boys and good times right there. They’re from Memphis and we’re from Georgia. We’ve been looking forward to touring with them for a while.

Can you tell us anything about what we can expect in the set list this time, new songs or some old ones that you’re dusting off?

Oh, definitely. Well, you know what, I can tell you this: There’s a real, real big surprise for all the Sevendust family members out there. I can’t let it out of the bag, but it’s definitely going to be a surprise this year when they see us.

Sometimes it’s hard. We don’t fight, like “Man, I don’t want to that song” or “I definitely don’t remember that song.”

It’s fun. I look at it like, man, can you believe it’s gotten to the point where we have this big catalog and we can pick and choose? It’s also incredible to be able to go out and tour with a band and adjust you’re music to make the crowd, if that makes any sense. We don’t have to play all the slam heavy hitters. We can throw some “Trust” or “Silence,” and I think that’s what great about having a catalog and not only being able to go out and tour with a band like Slipknot, but turn around and go out with a band like Saliva, too, and then turn around and go out with Alter Bridge and then go back out with Ozzy. I mean, what more could you ask for as a musician and an artist if people accept that and you’re able to paint this beautiful collage, not just this one portrait, you’re able to do many things.

How many times do you think you’ve played “Black” now in the band’s career?

My god! Uh, maybe there was a minute where we took it out of the set and then people asked for it again, so … [laughs] You know what, that’s so funny. How ‘bout more than a million times. I might as well have a tattoo of that on my ass.

My ass is black and “Black’s” on my ass. That’s funny.

So you’ve got this tour in the spring. I know you stepped off the Mayhem Festival. Can you say what the summer plans are gonna be yet?

Well, you know, everything is in the making and there’s a lot of big things going on. There’s a lot of bands calling and calling bands. I want to just say for the record that I hated that we were not able to be able to do the Mayhem tour. I was so excited and we all were as a band. Financially, we would’ve just—the ship had taken on water and if we had done that it would have really affected households. So we had to go down another avenue. Hopefully in the future that tour will go forward because I would love to tour with those bands again. Slipknot, Disturbed, which I’m sure we’ll be touring with those guys in the future anyway. I mean, all of the bands on there. Who else? Mastodon, the guys from Atlanta. I mean, give me a break. Machine Head. But hopefully we’ll be able to take a tour out in the future and play again. I hope all well for that tour. It’s gonna be great anyway.

Sevendust has been around a long time now. I can tell just from talking to you, really, but what is it that keeps you motivated and keeps you going?

Magic, man. I really feel that the music is magic and those people out there—we don’t have any fans, we have family. I feel like we don’t have concerts, they’re family reunions because now you have the guy that was 17 years old in front of the stage. Now he’s got his baby girl or boy with him with his wife and his mom and dad might be there. So it’s definitely a growing thing. I feel like the people that we’ve met along the way in this journey have made us work harder and become stronger men in a sense.

OK, I don’t want to take up too much of your time here. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Hey, just I can’t wait to see ya and if you wanted to know what the hell’s gonna go on in the next five years, we’re gonna whip everybody’s ass across the United States of America and this world.